Case Study: A More Responsive Government Grants Program

Introduction

When government is responsive to the needs of everyday Americans, democracy thrives. Few institutions embody this principle better than local election offices. Yet far too often, local election offices are severely underfunded.

Because of a lack of adequate federal funding, states and local governments are expected to shoulder the vast majority of the costs of running secure, efficient, and accessible elections. In nearly every case, it is local governments – who are already stretched thin – that bear the heaviest financial burden.

At the same time, over the past few years states have taken bold steps to make elections more secure, more efficient, and more accessible for voters by adopting innovative, pro-voter policies. Elections offices were left to implement those improvements while still preparing for the 2024 election cycle. These changes – like expanded early voting, stronger cybersecurity, or risk-limiting audits – strengthen democracy and often save money in the long run. But they also require upfront investment.

We believe that no state should have to choose between implementing new, voter-focused reforms and giving election officials the baseline resources they need to run elections.

That is why the Institute for Responsive Government launched A More Responsive Government Grant Program in 2024. The nonpartisan program offered direct, flexible support to local election offices in the seven states that have led the way in modernizing elections – Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Washington, D.C. These jurisdictions were eligible for grants based on their scores on our Election Policy Progress Reports, which found those 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.

This program is about more than funding – it is about fairness. Every voter deserves an election system that is secure, accessible, and trustworthy, no matter where they live. By filling urgent gaps today, we are working toward a future where sustainable, reliable funding for elections is the norm, not the exception.

Investing in elections is investing in people. It means shorter lines, stronger security, better-trained staff, and a system worthy of public trust. Through this program, the Institute is proud to stand alongside election officials who keep democracy running every single day. But we also see this work as a call to action: Our policymakers must commit to treating election funding as the essential investment in democracy that it is.

Together, we can build a government that is truly responsive – one where every election office has the tools to meet the moment, and every voter has confidence that their voice will be heard.

Funding: The Cornerstone to Safe, Secure, and Efficient Elections

As local election offices faced chronic underfunding coupled with rising demands on election administrators, the A More Responsive Government Grant Program provided critical support to election offices ahead of the 2024 election and beyond.. With an initial $6 million investment – and an additional $1 million added later in the program – the Institute awarded grants to more than 200 local elections offices, collectively serving over 6 million eligible voters.

Grant amounts were exclusively based on the voting age population in each jurisdiction. Election offices in all types of jurisdictions were awarded support – rural, urban, suburban; small, medium, and large; red, blue, and purple.

Importantly, the Institute did not control how election offices used their funds. As long as funds were used for the nonpartisan purpose of planning and operationalizing secure, efficient, and accessible election administration, election offices decided how to allocate their funds among their offices’ needs. The Institute also worked to streamline the grant application and grant reporting process, aiming to enable election officials to complete both forms in a half hour or less.

Examples of how election offices decided to use their funds included:

• Poll worker salaries
• Enhanced physical security measures
• Up-to-date computer hardware and software
• Electronic pollbooks
• Voting booths and other polling place supplies
• Disability access improvements for voting locations

The impact was immediate. Roughly two-thirds of grant recipients reported that the additional funding would have “a massive impact” on their offices’ abilities to safely, effectively, and securely run elections.

By partially filling these urgent resource gaps, Responsive Gov’s grant program demonstrated how relatively modest, flexible investments can empower local election offices to meet the needs of their voters and build public trust in the electoral process.

Overview on Grant Statistics

• Total amount given: $6,886,194
• Grants given: 240
• Applications: 300
• States Eligible: CO, MI, MN, NM, NV, DC (DE eligible, but didn’t apply)

On the Ground Impact: Responses from Grantees

In August, grantees received a survey from the Institute for Responsive Government to ask about how funds were used. Below outlines use of funds, reasons for applying to the grant program, and direct quotes from elections offices around why the grants were critical to their work. Please download the report to view detailed statistics on what grantees utilized funds for.