There’s More to Know: Election Funding in America

National elections in the United States, such as the midterm elections on November 3, are not managed by the federal government. Instead, over 8,000 separate jurisdictions oversee voting across the country, but with vastly different resources. According to Tiana Epps-Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, funding levels range from $2 per voter in some rural jurisdictions to as much as $67 in other areas.

In this video from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation’s There’s More to Know series, Epps-Johnson puts this problem in perspective.

“When it comes to the personnel, and the technology, and the facilities that we need to make our elections work, right now in the U.S. we’re spending the same amount as we are investing in parking facilities,” says Epps-Johnson.

With support from the foundation, the Center for Tech and Civic Life is partnering with local election offices nationwide to equip officials with the training, tools, and resources to administer elections, to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure, and to expand support for rural jurisdictions.