Letter to Sen. John Kennedy, Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommitte of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Christopher Coons, Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommitte of the Senate Appropriations Committee - Klobuchar Leads Letter with 31 Senators Urging Increase in Funding for the Election Assistance Commission

Letter

Dear Chairman Kennedy and Ranking Member Coons,

As you consider funding for appropriations for Fiscal Year 2020, we respectfully urge you to fund the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) at the FY09 level of $17,959,000, which includes $2,500,000 for agency relocation and funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to provide assistance with updates to the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG). We are requesting a return to the FY09 level for three key reasons:

For first time since 2009, all four Commission seats are filled. Salaries and travel budgets for the newly appointed Commissioners, coupled with the increased travel necessary for all Commissioners during an election year, will require an increase in funds for the EAC.

New cyber threats against our election systems mean that the EAC needs additional funds to ensure that it is providing adequate support to state and local election administrators. Additional funds should be provided in order to bring on employees with cyber expertise and to hire support staff for Commissioners. Additionally, the EAC is in the process of developing VVSG 2.0, an essential update that will be used to improve cybersecurity specifications and requirements against which voting systems are tested. It is critical that the EAC have the resources it needs to swiftly complete the VVSG updates.

As the 2020 presidential election approaches, the EAC will need additional funds to ensure that its IT infrastructure and support systems are ready to provide assistance to election officials and to improve the administration of elections ahead of November 2020. The EAC will also conduct its biennial Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) in 2020, which is the most comprehensive nationwide data on election administration.

Established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring accessible, secure, and accurate elections. Since its creation, the EAC has provided essential assistance to state and local election officials by sharing best practices and election materials, which many state and local jurisdictions would not otherwise have. Additionally, the EAC sets voting standards, certifies voting equipment, and administers the country's most comprehensive election survey, the Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), every two years. The EAVS tracks voter registration, military voting, provisional ballots, and absentee voting. This provides a basis for election administrators to change election administration policy to better suit the needs of voters.

Recently, the EAC has proven to be a significant resource for our government agencies and state election officials as they face the increased challenges of protecting the integrity of elections. At its current funding level, the EAC is providing these important services for less than $.04 per American per year. Under the President's FY20 budget, the EAC's operational funding budget would be cut by $855,000. This proposed funding cut comes right before a presidential election, and at a time when our intelligence officials continue to warn that our elections are under attack. The federal government only has one agency whose sole mission is to help administer elections and we should be increasing their funding, not cutting it. Any further budget constraints could limit the EAC's ability to fulfill its crucial mission, and without an increase in funds, the EAC will not be as effective as possible in its work with the Department of Homeland Security and state election officials to improve the security of our election systems.

Today, more than at any other time in our nation's history, election officials face unique challenges that require access to federal guidance and support. As we approach the 2020 elections, we must ensure that the EAC has the resources to provide critical guidance and assistance to ensure that every eligible American can cast a ballot and that our elections are secure.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

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