close
close

US election threats cost local governments millions in security – The Whittier Daily News

US election threats cost local governments millions in security – The Whittier Daily News

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks about 2024 election security at the Clark County Elections Department on Jan. 10, 2024, in North Las Vegas. (LE Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS)

By Erin Hudson and Skyler Woodhouse, Bloomberg News

As threats to election officials have increased since 2020, local governments are spending millions of dollars to increase protection for voters, poll workers, ballots and equipment.

About 92 percent of local election officials say they have taken steps since the last presidential cycle to increase security for voters, election officials or election infrastructure, according to a survey earlier this year by the Brennan Center for Justice. These measures range from cyber security protections to physical improvements for polling offices or polling sites. Everything from the cost of paper to print bulletins to technology upgrades to physical facility improvements hits budgets.

“The cost of securing elections is only increasing every day because of new threats,” said Isaac Cramer, a South Carolina election representative and one of the legislative chairs of the National Association of Election Officials.

Administration of elections — from ballot printing to polling place security — is the responsibility of local governments, and the decentralized nature makes it difficult to calculate the total cost of the 2024 contest, but officials, including those in swing states like Georgia and Wisconsin, agree that costs are rising.

Although Congress has provided billions for election security in recent years, local officials say it’s not enough, and officials have spent heavily to improve various election aspects, such as new facilities and worker training. Although federal grants exist, demand far outstrips need, and in some states—such as South Carolina and Wisconsin—federal dollars are not allocated below the state level, so costs are covered by county and municipal general funds.

Cramer, who is in charge of administering elections in Charleston County, South Carolina, said the county has spent more than $500,000 since 2020 on security, plus a new building that will eventually cost more than $7 million.

“Counties cover the cost of administering a federal election,” he told a Senate committee while testifying earlier this year. “The federal government needs to pay its fair share.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *