Dear John,
Congress just released a budget bill that provides only $15 million for election administration in 2026 -- less than $300,000 per state. That’s a devastating cut compared to the $825 million allocated in 2020, when lawmakers recognized the urgent need to safeguard our democracy. Elections are the mechanism by which the people hold leaders accountable. Without proper funding, that mechanism breaks down.
Voting rights are the bedrock of a functioning democracy. But across the country, outdated voting machines are still in use -- some decades old -- leaving elections vulnerable to breakdowns, errors, and cyberattacks. At the same time, election workers are fighting an uphill battle against rampant disinformation and sophisticated AI-driven deception that erodes public trust.
Yet instead of supporting the guardians of democracy, the GOP Congress is drastically cutting the available resources. At the same time, new restrictive voting laws are making it harder for many Americans -- especially communities of color, students, and young voters -- to access the ballot box.
Underfunding elections only deepens these barriers, ensuring that inequality in access becomes baked into the system itself. And because federal support is shrinking, funding disparities are left to local tax bases, meaning rural and low-income communities are hit hardest. That is not how a healthy democracy functions.
Send a direct message to your members of Congress: Fund our elections, protect voting rights, and ensure democracy works for everyone now!
This is not just about dollars and cents -- it’s about whether every American will have an equal voice in shaping our shared future. Starving election systems of funding while spreading lies about their legitimacy is a deliberate strategy to weaken public faith in democracy. We cannot let that strategy succeed.
The truth is simple: elections cost money to run. Ballots must be printed, machines must be maintained or replaced, polling places must be staffed, and security must be strong enough to withstand threats, whether from within or outside the country. When Congress refuses to invest in these essentials, it is refusing to invest in democracy itself.
The choice before Congress is clear: protect the right to vote, or weaken it. They can continue down the path of underfunding, leaving elections unstable and unequal -- or they can meet this moment with the resources our democracy demands.
Tell your members of Congress today: Oppose election underfunding and defend the right to vote for all Americans.
Thank you for standing up for our right to free and fair elections, in 2026 and beyond!
- DFA AF Team
