Lance: New Jersey Eligible for $10 Million in Election Security Grants

WESTFIELD, N.J. — Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) today announced that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is making $10 million dollars in election security improvements available to the State of New Jersey.

“Our sacred electoral process must be protected.  I commend the federal U.S. Election Assistance Commission for providing help not only to New Jersey, but to every state and territory to secure the integrity of the election system.  I trust the excellent county and local officials who are constitutionally tasked with administering our elections and I hope and expect that federal assistance will be put to effective use,” said Lance, who supported the fiscal year 2018 spending measure in part because of the funds made available for the Help America Vote Act Election Security Program.

As a result of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is administering federal grants through the 2018 Help America Vote Act Election Security Grant Program.  The purpose of a grant award is to assist states with activities to improve the administration of elections, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements in accordance with the bipartisan Help America Vote Act.  Funding can include the following items:

• Replace voting equipment that only records a voter’s intent electronically with equipment that utilizes a voter verified paper record;
• Implement a post-election audit system that provides a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the final vote tally;
• Upgrade election-related computer systems to address cyber vulnerabilities identified through Department of Homeland Security or similar scans or assessments of existing election systems;
• Facilitate cybersecurity training for the state chief election official’s office and local election officials; and
• Implement establishing cybersecurity best practices for election systems and other activities that will improve the security of elections for federal office.

The Omnibus Appropriations Act makes $9,757,451 available to the State of New Jersey.   Completion of the grant package will go through the Office of the New Jersey Secretary of State.

“Cyber threats and hostile actors around the world consider our democracy a prime target.  Election security must be taken very seriously,” concluded Lance.