CHICAGO, IL — This week, the Institute for Responsive Government’s A More Responsive Government 2024 Grant Program committed $6 million in nonpartisan grant funding to support local elections offices in states that prioritized the future of their voting systems. The new, nonpartisan 2024 program awarded grants in over 200 localities across six states to facilitate secure, efficient, and accessible elections. Local elections offices can use the grant funds to cover expenses incurred between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025.

Although funds currently available for grantmaking are exhausted, the Institute for Responsive Government is encouraging eligible local election offices to submit an application to join a waitlist. If additional funding becomes available, applications will be considered based on the time the waitlist application was submitted.

“Secure, efficient, and accessible elections require two things: pro-voter, pro-democracy policies and the resources for election officials to implement them,” said Sam Oliker-Friedland, executive director of the Institute for Responsive Government. “Our team at the Institute for Responsive Government is thrilled to play a small part in supporting jurisdictions that have demonstrated a commitment to improving our elections with our grant program, so that every eligible American voter can make their voice heard at the ballot box.”

“With budget negotiations ongoing in Congress, we hope that the federal government will heed election officials around the country – who have been tirelessly advocating for adequate, consistent funding year after year – and take the steps needed to protect the health of and future of our democracy.” Oliker-Friedland added.

A More Responsive Government 2024 Grant Program was open to any jurisdiction in the seven states that received the highest grade on the Institute for Responsive Government’s Election Policy Progress Reports from 2021-2023 — Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Washington, D.C. The organization’s progress reports found that these seven states took the most significant ​​steps towards making their election laws more responsive and user-friendly for voters and election administrators over the past three years.

Data from the A More Responsive Government 2024 Grant Program:

• Over 200 local elections offices serving over 6 million eligible voters were awarded grants. Grant award amounts were based exclusively upon the 2022 Citizen Voting Age Population in each jurisdiction, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Election offices reported that they anticipated spending grant funds on a wide range of key election infrastructure, including poll worker salaries, enhanced physical security measures, up-to-date computer hardware and software, electronic pollbooks, voting booths and other polling place supplies, and disability access improvements for voting locations.
• Election offices in all types of jurisdictions applied for and were awarded grants—rural, urban, suburban; small, medium, and large; red, blue, and purple.
• About ⅔ of applicants indicated that the funding would have “a massive impact” on their offices’ abilities to safely, effectively, and securely run elections.

Grant funds can be used to cover expenditures including but not limited to expenditures for the key human, physical, and technological assets that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified as necessary to conduct elections – from voter registration systems to election staffing to storage facilities. Local election officials decide how to allocate grant funds among the particular nonpartisan election administration needs in their jurisdiction. Responsive Gov will have no role in reviewing or approving expenditures. In addition, Responsive Gov will have no role in the operation or administration of elections conducted by these election offices.

To speak with Sam Oliker-Friedland about the grant program and adequately funding U.S. elections, please contact dan@responsivegov.org.