Sa panahong nananatiling inaatake ang kalayaang bumoto, ang Kongreso ay magbibigay ng paunang bayad sa omnibus spending bill upang magbigay ng karagdagang mga mapagkukunan para sa mga opisyal ng halalan sa buong bansa na nahaharap sa iba't ibang banta at balakid sa pagtulong sa mga Amerikano na marinig ang kanilang mga boses sa kahon ng balota. Ang $75 milyon na ito na inilalaan ng Kongreso ay isang maliit na bahagi lamang ng puhunan na kakailanganin upang maprotektahan ang ating mga halalan at ang kalooban ng mga botante mula sa mga banta sa dayuhan at lokal.

Elections officials continue to face ongoing attacks on our election infrastructure by hostile foreign governments, but in the wake of the former president’s Big Lie, they also face threats and harassment from fellow citizens as well – from death threats to coordinated nuisance document requests aimed at making it harder to do the already difficult work of running our elections.

Nonpartisan election officials throughout the country have spoken up to ask for Congress to prioritize additional resources for state and local elections. They need Congress to make significant investments so we can ensure that voting continues to be safe, accessible, and secure in 2023 and beyond.

Americans expect and deserve free and fair elections. Ensuring that they remain free and fair involves officials at every level, and it involves significant and sustained funding and expertise from the federal government. Small town, and even big city, election officials are too often overwhelmed when they go up against sophisticated foreign intelligence agencies. And the threats to our nation’s elections have grown within our own borders. Providing consistent funding, assistance, expertise, training, and information to those officials must continue so all Americans can continue to have their voices heard and votes counted.