On August 8, the Senate defeated a proposal to provide States with $250 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to secure their voting systems. The 50-to-47 vote — on an amendment to H.R. 6147, an appropriations package — fell short of the number needed for adoption. Senator Bob Corker (TN-R) was the only Republican to support it.
Democrats have been seeking to provide extra funding for Election Assistance Commission grants to States. Congress previously provided $380 million for the grants in the FY 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, and Republicans have stated that they prefer to wait before providing more. They also point out that additional funds would not go to the States before the 2018 midterm elections.
Senator James Lankford (OK-R), an original cosponsor of the Secure Elections Act, which initially proposed the grant funding, said:
“I believe it is far too early to add another quarter billion dollars … when we don’t know how the first $380 million has even been spent, and the Intelligence Committee did extensive research on how much was needed and [determined] the $380 million amount was what was needed at the time.”
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT-D), who offered the recent amendment, vowed to continue pursuing the issue, stating:
“The integrity of our elections, which are the foundation of our democracy, should not be a partisan issue. It is unfortunate that the Senate has followed the same path as House Republicans in blocking the funding our States need to help upgrade their infrastructure and secure our elections.”
On July 23, 21 States attorneys general wrote a letter to Congress urging that lawmakers appropriate additional funding to meet States’ election security needs. The letter stated:
“More funding is essential to adequately equip States with the financial resources we need to safeguard our democracy and protect the data of voting members in our States.”
To learn more, see the November 2006 issue of Congressional Digest on “Voting Integrity.”
