At a time when the freedom to vote remains under attack, Congress will provide a down payment in the omnibus spending bill to provide additional resources for election officials across the country who face a variety of threats and obstacles in helping Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box. This $75 million that Congress is allocating is only a fraction of the investment that will be required to protect our elections and the will of voters from threats both foreign and domestic.

Elections officials continue to face ongoing attacks on our election infrastructure by hostile foreign governments, but in the wake of the former president’s Big Lie, they also face threats and harassment from fellow citizens as well – from death threats to coordinated nuisance document requests aimed at making it harder to do the already difficult work of running our elections.

Nonpartisan election officials throughout the country have spoken up to ask for Congress to prioritize additional resources for state and local elections. They need Congress to make significant investments so we can ensure that voting continues to be safe, accessible, and secure in 2023 and beyond.

Americans expect and deserve free and fair elections. Ensuring that they remain free and fair involves officials at every level, and it involves significant and sustained funding and expertise from the federal government. Small town, and even big city, election officials are too often overwhelmed when they go up against sophisticated foreign intelligence agencies. And the threats to our nation’s elections have grown within our own borders. Providing consistent funding, assistance, expertise, training, and information to those officials must continue so all Americans can continue to have their voices heard and votes counted.