(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, the Committee on House Administration Democrats - Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) - applauded the inclusion of essential election security funding in the House-passed Omnibus spending bill. The bill provides the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) with an additional $380 million to help states secure their election systems and replace their most vulnerable voting machines. The Members, led by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and joined by their Democratic colleagues, have been advocating for funding to protect our voting systems and secure our democracy ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said:
“We applaud our Democratic leadership and budget negotiators for securing this much-needed funding for the Election Assistance Commission to help states upgrade their most at-risk voting equipment.
“The Election Assistance Commission is the only federal agency charged with making American elections more secure, accessible, accurate, and transparent. It is vital to helping states understand and respond to the threats confronting their election infrastructure, and for years, the EAC has worked diligently – despite a bare-bones budget – to provide guidance on cybersecurity and election technology.
“The $380 million included in today’s spending bill will allow states to address their biggest vulnerability by replacing paperless voting machines. This is a significant down payment on tackling an important long-term national security challenge. But we must not stop here.
“As the Congressional Task Force on Election Security found, states still need additional funds to hire cybersecurity staff, upgrade and maintain information technology infrastructure, implement risk limiting audits, develop more secure election security technology, and conduct cybersecurity training. The Election Security Act, cosponsored by 83 Democratic Members of Congress, would provide $1.8 billion over 10 years to allow states to fully upgrade their voting systems and keep them secure in the face of evolving threats. This should be a top priority for Congress.
“With the 2018 election season already underway, we cannot leave states to their own devices in defending against the sophisticated cyber-attacks of foreign governments. An attack on the electoral infrastructure in one state is an attack on America’s democracy. We must act now to ensure our states have the support and guidance they need to secure our elections before it’s too late.”
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