Federal Funding Is Necessary to Sustain Election Workers

Federal Funding Is Necessary to Sustain Election Workers
12/6/2022 by Gowri Ramachandran
What went right this past election? In short, many of the people who needed to step up did so.

When September 2022’s installment of Ms. magazine’s Women & Democracy series, “Women Saving Democracy,” was released, I was moved by the bipartisan group of women attorneys general, secretaries of state, advocates and local election officials who were featured in the project. I was particularly inspired by their dedication to doing their job in the new climate of threats and harassment. And I worried about them as the midterms approached and how the election official profession would be able to continue to recruit for future elections.

Now that official results are largely certified and as elected officials continue the business of governing, it’s important to ask ourselves: How was it that this election, conducted in the midst of grave threats to our democracy, went so smoothly? How did local election officials, 80 percent of whom ARE WOMEN AND TYPICALLY UNDERPAID (emphasis mine), rise to the challenge and provide us with an election that had minimal hiccups and no widespread reports of political violence? And what can we do to make sure they have the resources to do it every time?

Until recently, election official roles, including secretary of state positions, were largely jobs done behind the scenes. Individuals in these roles work diligently year-round to ensure that, come election time, every eligible voter can vote and that every eligible vote is counted. And even though the job has not traditionally been in the spotlight, the processes and procedures in place to ensure fair, accurate and secure elections have always been transparent.


Poll workers at a polling place during the Senate runoff election on Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
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But none of this was or is free. Joint events with law enforcement and election officials, backup police support and resource distribution, keycard access systems protecting election equipment and infrastructure and bulletproof glass in office spaces all cost money .Election offices are perennially underfunded. Longer-term, consistent and adequate funding from the federal government is necessary to ensure that instead of running on fumes, election workers have the support they need to continually improve at their jobs without worrying for their own safety and that of their families. To that end, both the House and the Senate should take care, before they go home to be with their families for the holidays, that they pass the budget that currently includes $400 million for elections. While this isn’t enough to sustain our democracy long-term, it’s the least that can be done for the heroes who have done so much for the rest of us.

https://msmagazine.com/2022/12/06/funding-election-poll-workers-midterms/