State and Local Election Security Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4849
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-06T18:00:06Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation authorizes federal funding to support state and local election administration through grants aimed at improving security, modernizing infrastructure, and enhancing efficiency for federal elections in fiscal years 2026 through 2028.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a new Title X in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 creating an Election Security Grant Program administered by the Election Assistance Commission.
- States receive annual payments consisting of a minimum base amount plus an additional share based on voting-age population.
- Funds may be used for activities such as modernizing election systems, improving efficiency, and addressing security threats, but not for litigation costs or judgments.
- Requires states to pass at least 50 percent of funds (or a Commission-determined share in some cases) to local election offices.
- Mandates annual reports to the Commission detailing fund use, with those reports forwarded to relevant congressional committees.
- Funds must be deposited in state election funds where established and are available without fiscal year limits, subject to return of unobligated amounts after five years (with possible extensions).
- Authorizes $5 billion for fiscal year 2026 and $2.5 billion each for fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
- Provides separate authorization of $50 million per year to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for grants to the Center for Internet Security supporting the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
- Extends certain Help America Vote Act provisions to additional U.S. territories.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new grant program and funding stream to the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
- Modifies the definition of covered territories under the Act to include the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and other territories permitted to elect congressional delegates or resident commissioners.
Potential Impacts
- Provides substantial new federal resources to state and local governments for election-related activities over three years.
- Increases reporting and compliance obligations for states receiving funds.
- Supports ongoing operations of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center through dedicated grants.
- May affect federal agency coordination with state election officials by restoring certain information-sharing mechanisms referenced in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State governments and their chief election officials.
- Local election administrators and units of local government.
- The Election Assistance Commission.
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
- U.S. territories newly covered under the Help America Vote Act provisions.
- Congressional committees responsible for appropriations and election oversight.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Creates a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar authorization outside the regular annual appropriations process.
- Includes a non-binding sense of Congress statement referencing specific prior executive branch actions on federal agencies and funding.
- Establishes distribution and reporting requirements that link federal funding to state and local compliance with existing election laws.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
- 2026-06-22: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- State and Local Election Security Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-22 — PDF (9 pages)