States Might Miss Out on Millions to Secure Election Systems

Congress put aside hundreds of millions of dollars for states to use to improve their election security, but many states may not be able to access that money before the election, The Washington Post reports. 

Congress approved $380 million for states to use, with the money being portioned out based on each state's voting age population. According to the Election Assistance Commission, which manages the funds, 12 states have made requests for the money, while 17 more are expected.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said that he would like to use some of the $6.6 million that was awarded to his state to improve the voter registration system. But Simon, a Democrat, says that state law keeps that money in the hands of the Republican-controlled legislature, who included that funds in a spending bill that the governor, also a Democrat, has threatened to veto over unrelated issues.

"All we need is a couple sentences from our state legislature allowing us to tap into those funds," Simon told the Post's cybersecurity reporter Derek Hawkins. "Without that authorization, there will be $6.6 million dollars that's available for our use just sitting there."

For other state officials, it's not a legislative issue preventing them from using the money, they're simply too busy to plan changes this close to the midterm elections.

"We just don't have time," said a spokeswoman for Colorado's secretary of state. "We're waiting until after the primary because we're so tied up with that."

"It may have been a quick fix if the money had been allocated a year ago, but we're already in the middle of a midterm year," Democracy Fund senior adviser Tammy Patrick said. "It's coming in close to the elections, when you don't necessarily have time to figure out how to use it in the most impactful and effective way."

She added that "people are being far more deliberate with this process. They are going out and setting their priorities by speaking with local election officials to find out the best use of these funds."

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