Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens election cybersecurity by providing targeted multi‑year grants and clarifies statutory authority and territorial access under HAVA, but it relies on some non‑binding language, concentrates funding through a single channel, increases federal spending, and leaves questions about politicized or unfunded administrative consequences.
State and local election officials will receive dedicated federal grants ($150 million over three years) to support the EI-ISAC, improving cyberthreat detection/sharing and making election systems harder for attackers to disrupt—benefiting election administrators and voters.
State and local election administrators gain a clearer statutory placeholder and updated HAVA table of contents that create a legal pathway and federal recognition for future grants and more consistent federal support, improving long-term planning and legal clarity.
Residents of U.S. territories could gain clearer access to HAVA programs and protections because the bill treats certain territories as 'States' for these provisions and establishes a written guidance pathway from House committee chairs to the Election Assistance Commission, reducing administrative uncertainty and potentially expanding federal election assistance.
Taxpayers fund an additional $150 million over three years to support the grants, increasing federal spending for election cybersecurity.
Concentrating grant funding through a single nonprofit channel (the Center for Internet Security/EI-ISAC) could limit competitive alternatives, raise procurement and oversight concerns, and lock resources into one delivery mechanism.
Several provisions are largely non‑binding or create placeholders rather than delivering immediate funds or operational fixes, which means officials and voters may see no near-term improvements while states might plan around promised grants that are not yet authorized, risking unmet expectations and partisan disputes.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Adds an election-security title to HAVA, broadens HAVA's definition of "State," and authorizes $50M/year (2026–2028) to CISA to grant funds to CIS to run the EI‑ISAC.
Official title: Authorize funding for election security grants for fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 22, 2026 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress June 22, 2026
Provides federal funding and statutory changes to strengthen election cybersecurity. The bill adds an "Election security grants" title to HAVA, broadens the HAVA definition of “State” to include additional territories and a discretionary category, and authorizes $50 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2028 to CISA to make grants to the Center for Internet Security to operate the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI‑ISAC). It also expresses Congressional findings about the importance of reliable federal support for state and local election officials and concerns about federal disruptions to election-related federal agency capabilities.