Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators  Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-M.E.) today wrote to Congressional leaders urging them to allow the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to waive a requirement that states provide a 20 percent match for the $400 million in election assistance grants included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act if circumstances related to the pandemic prevent them from providing this match. 

“State and local election officials nationwide are working heroically to prepare for the 2020 elections amidst an unprecedented public health crisis,” wrote Bennet and Collins in the letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). “Given the unprecedented strain the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on state budgets, the match requirement could mean that several states are unable to take advantage of new election funding at the very moment it is most needed. In this national crisis, we should not ask states to choose between providing critical services and safeguarding our democracy.” 

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced state and local election officials to make urgent preparations to ensure that every voter can safely participate in the 2020 election. In response, the CARES Act included $400 million in election assistance grants. Although the CARES Act did not specify a 20 percent match requirement for these grants, the EAC, which administers the grants, confirmed that it can only award funding to states that provide the match, consistent with restrictions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic strains state budgets, creating by some estimates a $500 billion hole, the match requirement could mean that several states cannot take advantage of new election funding. In some cases, securing matching funds will require approval by the state legislature, even though many state legislatures have adjourned and have no plans to return until after the November elections. For all of these reasons, secretaries of state from both political parties have called on Congress to revisit the 20 percent match requirement. 

The text of the letters is available HERE. 

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McCarthy: 

We urge you to include in any future legislation provisions to modify the requirement for states to provide a 20 percent match for the $400 million in election assistance grants included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Specifically, we should empower the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which administers the grants, to waive this requirement in cases where exigent circumstances related to the pandemic may prevent states from making use of available funding. 

State and local election officials nationwide are working heroically to prepare for the 2020 elections amidst an unprecedented public health crisis. The $400 million in new election funding reflects the clear intent of Congress to support their work to ensure the safety and participation of voters across the country. 

Although the CARES Act did not specify a 20 percent requirement, the EAC has made it clear that it can only award funding to states that provide a 20 percent match, consistent with restrictions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. Given the unprecedented strain the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on state budgets, the match requirement could mean that several states are unable to take advantage of new election funding at the very moment it is most needed. 

In this national crisis, we should not ask states to choose between providing critical services and safeguarding our democracy. Moreover, in some cases securing matching funds will require approval by the state legislature, yet many state legislatures have since adjourned and have no plans to return until after the November elections.  

For all of these reasons, state and local election from both political parties have called on Congress to revisit the 20 percent match requirement. 

As Congress considers additional legislation to address the ongoing pandemic, we respectfully urge you to give EAC the flexibility to waive this requirement in cases where exigent circumstances related to the pandemic risk impeding a state’s ability to make use of new election security funding. 

Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We stand ready to partner with you to support our state and local election officials as they work to ensure the safety and participation of voters in the 2020 elections. 

Sincerely,