Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations

Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations

link to page 2

Updated May 8, 2023
Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations
Congress first authorized major federal grant programs for
sources of new elections funding for states. Congress has
elections in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA;
returned to them on occasion, though, to provide states with
P.L. 107-252). HAVA was enacted in response to issues
further funding. It appropriated $400 million under
with the conduct of the 2000 elections. Like previous
HAVA’s general improvements grant program to help
federal elections statutes, it set requirements for the
states address elections effects of COVID-19 (P.L. 116-
administration of federal elections. Unlike previous
136), for example, as well as $380 million for FY2018 (P.L.
elections statutes, it also provided for grant programs to
115-141), $425 million for FY2020 (P.L. 116-93), $75
help states meet those requirements and identify and
million for FY2022 (P.L. 117-103), and $75 million for
implement other improvements to election administration.
FY2023 (P.L. 117-328) for more general purposes.
No new federal elections grant programs on the scale of
With the exception of the COVID-19-related funding—
HAVA’s have been authorized as of this writing. Grant
which states had to either obligate by December 31, 2020,
programs have been established for certain more limited
or return to the U.S. Treasury—funds provided under the
purposes, however, such as improving the collection of
requirements payments and general improvements grant
election data. Congress has also provided further
programs have been available to recipients indefinitely.
appropriations under HAVA’s grant programs, such as
States are not required to spend funds received under those
funding for FY2020 to help states address the effects of the
programs, or any interest the funds generate, within a
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on
particular timeframe.
administration of the 2020 elections.
Table 1 summarizes the elections-specific grant programs
This In Focus provides an overview of the elections-
Congress has authorized and funded to date. For more on
specific grant programs Congress has established and
those programs, see CRS Report WPD00035, Federal Role
funded to date. It also briefly discusses non-elections-
in Elections Funding, by Karen L. Shanton; and CRS
specific grant programs that have been used to support
Report R46646, Election Administration: Federal Grant
elections-related activities.
Funding for States and Localities, by Karen L. Shanton.
Elections-Specific Grant Programs
Other Grant Programs
HAVA authorized two general grant programs for states:
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is the
•
only federal agency dedicated to election administration,
a general improvements grant program that was
but other agencies have experience or expertise that may be
designed to help states make certain general
relevant to elections. The relevance of other agencies’
improvements to election administration; and
experience and expertise is reflected in choices about the
• a requirements payments program that was intended
administration of the elections-specific grant programs
primarily to help states meet the requirements set by
described in the previous section. For example, although the
Title III of HAVA but could also be applied to more
EAC oversees most elections-specific grant programs,
general election administration improvements if a state
Congress assigned responsibility for some of the disability
limited its spending on them to a specified level or had
access and military and overseas voting funding to the U.S.
already met the HAVA requirements.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), respectively.
The act also authorized more specialized grant programs
aimed at facilitating or incentivizing activities related to
The relevance of other agencies to elections is also reflected
voting systems, accessibility for voters with disabilities,
in the availability of some non-elections-specific funding
youth voter participation, and poll worker recruitment.
for elections-related activities. A complete account of all of
the federal grant programs that have been or could be used
The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE)
to support elections work is beyond the scope of this In
Act of 2009 (enacted as part of P.L. 111-84) set new
Focus, but U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S.
requirements for military and overseas voting and
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) programs offer
authorized new funding for HAVA requirements payments
some illustrative examples. Following reports of an increase
to help states meet them. Federal grant programs have also
in threats to election workers in and after the 2020 election
been established since HAVA for reimbursing certain costs
cycle, DOJ confirmed that some of its grants can be used to
of replacing voting systems (P.L. 108-7), improving
address such threats. DHS has reimbursed certain elections
election data collection (P.L. 110-161), and conducting
costs of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina; required
pilot programs to test new election technologies for military
recipients of some of its homeland security grants to
and overseas voters (P.L. 111-84).
allocate a share of the funding to election security projects;
HAVA’s two general grant programs were not originally
and encouraged state and local cybersecurity grantees to
designed—and have not historically functioned—as regular
include election officials on their planning committees.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2 Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations
Table 1. Authorizations and Appropriations for Elections-Specific Federal Grant Programs, as of May 5, 2023
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 mil ion
for the administration of federal
Assistance Commission (EAC)
years: Such sums as necessary
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
FY20: $825 mil ion
(GSA)
FY22-23: Total of $150 mil ion
Lever and punch card voting
$325 mil ion
FY03: c
Replacing lever or punch card voting
system 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
reimbursements
scan or electronic voting equipment
P.L. 108-7; GSA
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 mil ioni
as pol workers and election officials to
52 U.S.C. §§21121-21123; EAC
sums as necessary
FY23: $1 mil ion
use their services
Election data col ection
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 for 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

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11961 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED