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Updated July 8, 2022
Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations
Congress first authorized major federal grant programs for
new elections funding for states. Congress has returned to
elections in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA;
them on occasion, though, to provide states with further
P.L. 107-252). HAVA was enacted in response to issues
funding. It appropriated $400 million under HAVA’s
with the conduct of the 2000 elections. Like previous
general improvements grant program to help states address
federal elections statutes, it set requirements for the
elections effects of COVID-19 (P.L. 116-136), for example,
administration of federal elections. Unlike previous
as well as $380 million for FY2018 (P.L. 115-141), $425
elections statutes, it also provided for grant programs to
million for FY2020 (P.L. 116-93), and $75 million for
help states meet those requirements and identify and
FY2022 (P.L. 117-103) for more general purposes.
implement other improvements to election administration.
With the exception of the COVID-19-related funding—
No new federal elections grant programs on the scale of
which states had to either obligate by December 31, 2020,
HAVA’s have been authorized as of this writing. Grant
or return to the U.S. Treasury—funds provided under the
programs have been established for certain more limited
requirements payments and general improvements grant
purposes, however, such as improving the collection of
programs have been available to recipients indefinitely.
election data. Congress has also provided further
States are not required to spend funds received under those
appropriations under HAVA’s grant programs, such as
programs, or any interest the funds generate, within a
funding for FY2020 to help states address effects of the
particular timeframe.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on
Table 1 summarizes the elections-specific grant programs
administration of the 2020 elections.
Congress has authorized and funded as of this writing. For
This In Focus provides an overview of the elections-
more information about each program, see CRS Report
specific grant programs Congress has established and
R46646, Election Administration: Federal Grant Funding
funded to date. It also briefly discusses non-elections-
for States and Localities, by Karen L. Shanton.
specific grant programs that have been used to support
elections-related activities.
Other Grant Programs
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is the
Elections-Specific Grant Programs
only federal agency dedicated to election administration,
HAVA authorized two general grant programs for states:
but other agencies have experience or expertise that may be
relevant to elections. The relevance of other agencies’
a general improvements grant program that was
experience and expertise is reflected in choices about the
designed to help states make certain general
administration of the elections-specific grant programs
improvements to election administration; and
described in the previous section of this In Focus. For
a requirements payments program that was intended
example, although the EAC oversees most elections-
primarily to help states meet the requirements set by title
specific grant programs, responsibility for some of the
III of HAVA but could also be applied to more general
funding for disability access and military and overseas
election administration improvements if a state limited
voting was assigned to the U.S. Department of Health and
its spending on such improvements to a specified level
Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of
or had already met the HAVA requirements.
Defense (DOD), respectively.
The act also authorized more specialized grant programs
The relevance of other agencies to elections is also reflected
aimed at encouraging or facilitating activities related to
in the use of some non-elections-specific grants for
voting systems, accessibility for voters with disabilities,
elections-related activities. A complete account of all of the
youth voter participation, and poll worker recruitment.
federal grant programs that have been or could be used to
support elections work is beyond the scope of this In Focus,
The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE)
but U.S. Department of Education (ED), National Science
Act of 2009 (enacted as part of P.L. 111-84) set new
Foundation (NSF), and Federal Emergency Management
requirements for military and overseas voting and
Agency (FEMA) programs offer some illustrative
authorized new funding for HAVA requirements payments
examples. Grants have been awarded under an ED grant
to help states meet them. Federal grant programs have also
program for educating children about the importance of
been established since HAVA for reimbursing certain costs
voting, for example, and under NSF programs for
of replacing voting systems (P.L. 108-7), improving
conducting voting technology research. FEMA has
election data collection (P.L. 110-161), and conducting
provided funding to help states address elections effects of
pilot programs to test new election technologies for military
disasters—such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11,
and overseas voters (P.L. 111-84).
2001, attacks—and required applicants for some of its
HAVA’s two general grant programs were not originally
homeland security grants to include election security
designed—and have not functioned—as regular sources of
projects in their proposals.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
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Table 1. Authorizations and Appropriations for Elections-Specific Federal Grant Programs, as of July 8, 2022
Grant Program
Auth. of Appropriations
Appropriations
Summary of Primary Purpose
Requirements payments
FY03-05: Total of $3 bil ion
FY03-04: Total of $2.3 bil iona Complying with specified requirements
52 U.S.C. §§21001-21008; Election
FY10 and subsequent fiscal
FY08-10: Total of $285
for the administration of federal
Assistance Commission (EAC)
years: Such sums as necessary mil ion
electionsb
General improvements
$325 mil ion
FY03: c
Making certain general improvements
52 U.S.C. §§20901, 20903-20906; EAC &
FY18: $380 mil ion
to election administrationd
General Services Administration (GSA)
FY20: $825 mil ion
FY22: $75 mil ion
Lever and punch card voting system $325 mil ion
FY03: c
Replacing lever or punch card voting
replacement
systems in precincts that used them in
52 U.S.C. §§20902-20906; EAC & GSA
the Nov. 2000 federal election
Voting technology research
FY03: $20 mil ion
FY09-10: Total of $8 mil ion
Researching improvements to election
52 U.S.C. §§21041-21043; EAC
systems and voting equipment
Voting technology pilot programs
FY03: $10 mil ion
FY09-10: Total of $3 mil ion
Conducting pilot programs to test new
52 U.S.C. §§21051-21053; EAC
voting technologies
Voting system replacement
e
FY03: $15 mil ion
Reimbursing costs of obtaining optical
reimbursementsP.L. 108-7; GSA
scan or electronic voting equipment
prior to the Nov. 2000 federal election
Military and overseas election
Such sums as necessary
f
Conducting pilot programs to test
technology pilot programs
election technologies for military and
52 U.S.C. §20311; DOD
overseas voters
Pol ing place accessibility
FY03-05: Total of $100
g
Improving and providing information
52 U.S.C. §§21021-21025; HHS
mil ion
about the accessibility of pol ing places
to individuals with disabilities
Protection and advocacy (P&A)
FY03-06: Total of $40 mil ion
g
Ensuring access to the electoral
system
Subsequent fiscal years: Such
process for individuals with disabilitiesh
52 U.S.C. §§21061-21062; HHS
sums as necessary
Mock elections
FY03: $200,000
FY04-05: Total of $400,000
Conducting voter education activities
52 U.S.C. §§21071-21072; EAC
Subsequent six fiscal years:
FY08-10: Total of $800,000i
for students and their parents
Such sums as necessary
Help America Vote Col ege
FY03: $5 mil ion
FY03-05: Total of $2.5 mil ion Encouraging col ege students to serve
Programj
Subsequent fiscal years: Such
FY08-10: Total of $2.3
as pol workers and election officials to
52 U.S.C. §§21121-21123; EAC
sums as necessary
mil ioni
use their services
Election data collection
e
FY08: $10 mil ion
Improving the col ection of data related
52 U.S.C. §20981 note; EAC
to the Nov. 2008 federal election
Source: CRS, based on review of the U.S. Code and relevant appropriations measures.
Notes: Figures are rounded. Authorization of appropriations figures reflect levels recommended in laws other than appropriations acts.
a. Report language accompanying P.L. 108-199 indicated that $750,000 of this funding was for the Help America Vote Foundation, $750,000
was for the Help America Vote Col ege Program, and $200,000 was for the mock elections grant program.
b. The FY03-05 funds and the FY10 and subsequent year funds were authorized for meeting requirements set by HAVA and the MOVE Act
of 2009, respectively. Requirements payments can also be used for general election administration improvements under certain conditions.
c. P.L. 108-7 provided $650 mil ion for the combination of these two programs and did not specify a distribution of funds between them.
d. Explanatory statements accompanying P.L. 115-141 and P.L. 116-93—which provided $380 mil ion for FY18 and $425 mil ion for FY20,
respectively—listed election security-specific uses to which those funds may be applied. The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) limited use of the
other $400 mil ion provided for FY20 to preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus in the 2020 federal election cycle.
e. There is no statutory language concerning these programs separate from the language in appropriations legislation.
f.
Funding used for this grant program appears to have come from general DOD research funding rather than program-specific funding.
g. Totals of $80.7 and $43.2 mil ion, respectively, were provided for the polling place accessibility program for FY03-06 and FY08-10 and the
P&A program for those years and FY12-13. Appropriations for FY07, FY11, and starting in FY14 have been included in general budget
authority for certain HHS programs. HHS has reported that, starting with FY14, funding has only been directed to the P&A program.
h. HAVA directs HHS to set aside 7% of the funding appropriated for this program for training and technical assistance.
i.
These figures reflect funding levels specified in report language as well as levels specified in bil text.
j.
The figures listed here are for the program as a whole. The EAC is authorized to conduct various activities as part of the program.
Karen L. Shanton, Analyst in American National
Government
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations
IF11961
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