Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Florida formally asks feds for $19M
Money will be used for election system security and voting equipment upgrades
Florida formally asked the federal government Wednesday for $19.2 million for election system security and voting equipment upgrades — money the state originally wasn’t in any hurry to get its hands on before the 2018 elections.
In a request to the U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner, Secretary of State Ken Detzner said the state would use the money to strengthen cybersecurity efforts, enhance election technology and facilitate cybersecurity training for state and local agencies that work on elections.
The funds also could be used for election administration, including voter education, poll worker training and standardizing the reporting of election results. And there’s a catch-all: “all other election costs deemed necessary by the Department of State.”
Detzner wrote that his agency would work with county supervisors of elections “to deploy the funds as rapidly as possible.”
The money is Florida’s share of $380 million allocated to states for election upgrades in the massive federal spending legislation passed in March. To get its $19.2 million share, Florida has to provide $959,000, a 5 percent match.
On May 22, Detzner told reporters at the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections spring conference in Fort Lauderdale that the state wouldn’t attempt to tap into the money before the 2018 elections.
On May 23, Gov. Rick Scott said the state would, in fact, apply for the money.
The Republican governor, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., was criticized by Nelson over the issue in a Senate floor speech.
Cybersecurity has quickly become the top issue for the people who run voting, following attempts by Russia and other hostile entities to influence the 2016 elections.
At their conference last week, county elections supervisors discussed the issue every day, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security dispatched six people to meet with the elections supervisors in Fort Lauderdale.