This week, a U.S. House subcommittee with a wonky name — Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) — will consider a funding bill with significant implications for the health of our democracy.
The FSGG bill is the smallest of the 12 funding bills that must pass every year to fund the federal government. It often flies under the radar. Yet this vital bill funds everything from consumer protection agencies to the federal courts through which everyday people seek justice, along with many other key programs.
It’s especially important to us at the Southern Poverty Law Center because of another critical pot of funding that lives in the bill: funding for state and local election administrators to run our elections.
Elections in the U.S. are largely funded locally, but the federal government has an essential role to play in funding elections. To understand why, here’s a quick primer on how elections are funded:
Even though local election workers run elections for local, state and federal offices, most of the money to staff polling places, purchase voting machines and register voters comes from local general fund revenue. These general fund dollars support a range of government functions, from schools, libraries and parks to emergency services and law enforcement — meaning election funding must compete with a host of critical government services.
Often there simply are not enough local dollars available to cover the cost of administering elections. Poorer communities often find themselves with even less money to fund this critical component of our democracy.
When elections are underfunded, everyone loses out. Election workers don’t have the equipment and tools they need to run safe and accessible elections. Voters may face barriers accessing a ballot.
Ultimately, that damages our democracy.
Despite the ongoing need, federal funding for elections has been decreasing. While Congress sent $825 million to states for elections in 2020, it sent just $220 million total in the five years since, including only $15 million this year — a mere $272,000 for most states.
That’s why the SPLC and 100 partner organizations outlined the urgent need for these funds in a letter to the committee.
We are calling on Congress to send more money to state and local election administrators this year, and every year after. It’s also why we’ll be watching the House FSGG subcommittee this week — to see whether Congress is serious about its duty to protect the fundamental right to vote and defend our democracy.
Laura Williamson is the senior policy advisor for voting rights and civic engagement at the SPLC.
Image at top: Election workers at Lewisdale Elementary School in Chillum, Maryland, assist voters during the state’s primaries on May 14, 2024. (Credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)