Bipartisan election officials from across the country urge Congress to step up and bolster U.S. election infrastructure ahead of 2026 midterms

Nearly two dozen bipartisan election officials from across the country are urgently calling on Congress to provide at least $400 million to support the nation’s critical election infrastructure ahead of next year’s midterm elections, and in the years to come.

In a letter shared with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), members of Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign underscore that “elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and a vital component of our national security” while reiterating that the $15 million in election funding included in the current Financial Services and General Government funding bill “is simply not enough.”

“This amount does not fully address the failure of Congress to provide consistent or sufficient federal funding to ensure that election officials can defend against escalating threats,” the letter states. “Without urgent and adequate support, election officials will be forced to do more with less at a time when the risks are growing more acute.”

Those joining in the call for funding include Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; former Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos; former West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant; Director of the Board of Elections in Defiance, Ohio Tonya Wichman; Clerk and Recorder for Weld County, Colorado Carly Koppes; Director of Elections in Durham County, North Carolina Derek Bowens; Clerk/Treasurer for Douglas County, Nevada Amy Burgans, and County Clerk for Ottawa County, Michigan Justin Roebuck.

“While Congress considers an additional infusion of $15 million, election officials and election experts from across the political spectrum highlight that the total sum would still be just a fraction of the $2 billion dollars likely to be spent by state and local governments for this upcoming cycle,” the letter goes on to say. “These limited federal funds barely offset basic election administration costs, let alone address security issues.”

The election officials note security-intensive situations that election officials are dealing with, including violent attacks on voting infrastructure, organized assaults on election offices, and foreign-backed hacking efforts. These are just a few problems that could be mitigated with reliable and adequate funding.

“Election officials are in the trenches every day protecting the integrity of our vote, but they can’t fend off foreign cyberthreats and rising challenges here at home without real backup,” said Issue One’s Policy Director Michael McNulty. “Running safe and secure elections isn’t cheap – and it shouldn’t be a partisan fight. Congress has both the constitutional authority and obligation to step up. Reliable, consistent funding for election administration isn’t optional. It’s how we keep our democracy standing.”

Election officials “need stability and trust to keep our elections secure, not uncertainty, partisan interventions, or additional red tape,” the letter concludes. “It is long past time for Congress to treat election security as the national security priority it is and provide the sustained support our nation’s elections deserve.”

Read the full letter.