Federal Election Worker Support Shrinks by $39.61 Million as 24 States Expand Protections
Updated
Updated · legis1.com · Oct 4
Federal Election Worker Support Shrinks by $39.61 Million as 24 States Expand Protections
3 articles · Updated · legis1.com · Oct 4
Summary
$39.61 million in CISA election security funding was proposed for elimination in DHS budget plans for fiscal 2026 and 2027, leaving election worker safety increasingly dependent on states and localities.
A new CRS report says federal protections still exist in law, but executive-branch support is uneven or unclear as threats and politically driven scrutiny push some election workers to leave or consider leaving.
CISA had already ended funding for its election information-sharing center in 2025, reportedly sidelined Election Security Advisors and skipped an Election Day situation room, though a Sept. 24 plan says regional directors now fill that role.
The Election Assistance Commission is operating without commissioners after April and July departures, while the Justice Department's election-worker threat task force site has been archived with its last update in May 2025.
Twenty-four states and Washington, D.C., had enacted or updated election worker protections by July 2025, while bills to widen federal intimidation penalties and fund recruitment and investigations remain stalled in Congress.