U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See state expenditures reports for all years here

WASHINGTON- The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released its annual report on state spending of nearly $3.2 billion in federal funds appropriated to improve the administration of elections. The 2008 Annual Report on Grant Programs, available at www.eac.gov, includes detailed tables on the amount each state received, spent and earned in interest through 2008.

The funds were authorized by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), which established EAC and charged it with disbursing monies appropriated under the act. States and U.S. territories spent 76 percent of the $2.96 billion (70 percent when accrued interest of $279 million is included) they have received as of September 30, 2008. Following is an approximation of how states spent the funds:

• $1.6 billion on voting systems,
• $355 million on voter registration systems,
• $155.3 million on election administration improvements,
• $77.1 million on educating voters and recruiting and training election workers,
• $34.2 million on uncategorized election administration activities,
• $29.8 million on improving polling places, and
• $3.7 million on provisional voting.

The funds distributed by EAC fall into three administrative categories described in HAVA: Section 101, Section 102, and Section 251. EAC’s 2008 Annual Report on Grant Programs covers the disbursement and spending of all HAVA funds in these categories through December 31, 2008, for Section 101 and 102 funds and September 30, 2008, for Section 251 funds.

States also received funds under Section 261 of HAVA to make polling places accessible for people with disabilities. EAC’s report does not include information about the expenditure of these funds because they are administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

States received $349 million in Section 101 funds, which were disbursed in 2003 to fund a broad array of election administration improvements required under Title III of HAVA, including compliance with new voting system privacy, and verification and accessibility standards. An additional $39.8 million is also available to states in the form of earned interest. As of December 31, 2008, states had spent 70 percent of the total Section 101 funds available.

In 2003 states also received Section 102 monies to replace punch card and lever voting systems. As of December 31, 2008, states had spent nearly 79 percent of the $300 million of Section 102 funds and $21.8 million in earned interest. Nearly all of the remaining funds are expected to be spent by the end of this federal fiscal year.

The largest funding source for states is Section 251 funds, also known as Requirements Payments. This money may be used to meet the requirements of Title III of HAVA, which may include purchasing new voting systems, developing statewide voter registration databases, providing voter education, and implementing provisional voting. As of September 30, 2008, states had spent 70 percent of the $2.3 billion in Section 251 funds and $217 million in earned interest.

The report also includes an overview of competitive, discretionary grants that EAC issued in 2008, which includes $10 million to states for election data collection; $750,000 to colleges, universities, municipalities and nonprofits to recruit students to serve as poll workers; and $200,000 to nonprofit organizations, public schools, and local governments to hold student and parent mock elections.

For more information about the administrative categories of HAVA funding, requirements payments and other resources regarding HAVA expenditures, visit the Election Official Center at www.eac.gov.

The EAC is an independent commission created by the Help America Vote Act.  The EAC serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration.  It is charged with administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and accrediting voting system test laboratories and certifying voting equipment.  It is also charged with developing and maintaining a national mail voter registration form. The three EAC commissioners are Donetta Davidson, chair; Gineen Bresso Beach; and Gracia Hillman. There is one vacancy on the commission.

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