John,

Funding cuts are happening right and left in Washington, and a new poll says that 60% of local election officials are concerned about federal cuts to election security services. [1]

Sadly, this isn’t a new concern. Our elections — the bedrock of our democracy — are run by dedicated public servants who ensure they are free, fair, and secure — all while receiving minimal funding from Congress.

But as costs rise for election officials, federal cuts keep coming that will only make their jobs harder — like the recent cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) election-related services. On top of that, election officials are being saddled with implementing unfunded mandates.

Despite all of these challenges, these election officials continue to do their jobs to ensure we all have access to the ballot box. Now it’s our turn to help them.

It’s time to push back against this tide and support election heroes across the country who administer our free and fair elections. Tell your members of Congress to invest in our nation’s election infrastructure!

And state and local officials aren’t staying silent. They’re speaking up and making sure Congress knows that they need support from those in Washington.

Issue One recently delivered a letter to Congress from nearly 20 bipartisan election officials, including members of our Faces of Democracy campaign, that called on Congress to support the public servants dedicated to administering our elections by providing at least $400 million to bolster election infrastructure. [2]

They told Congress that the federal government has both a constitutional role and a responsibility to ensure the security of federal elections — which includes sharing the load with states and localities when it comes to funding elections.

And we agree. Previous investments by Congress have fallen short of what’s needed by election offices around the country.

Congress needs to meet the moment and provide officials with the resources they need to do their jobs. Elections are the backbone of our democracy, and safeguarding them is a shared responsibility.

Write to Congress and urge them to provide consistent, reliable funding to support state election administration!

Your voice makes a difference,
The Issue One Team

^{[1] https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/local-election-officials-survey-july-2025}

^{[2] https://issueone.org/press/election-officials-urge-congress-to-invest-in-us-elections/}