Grant Details

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2025 provides payments to states for activities to improve the administration of elections for Federal office, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements.

Consistent with the requirements of HAVA, states may use this funding to

• Replace voting equipment that only records a voter's intent electronically with equipment that utilizes a voter verified paper record;
• Implement a post-election audit system that provides a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the final vote tally;
• Upgrade election ­related computer systems to address cyber vulnerabilities identified through Department of Homeland Security, or similar scans or assessments of, existing election systems;
• Facilitate cybersecurity training for the state chief election official's office and local election officials;
• Implement established cybersecurity best practices for election systems; and
• Fund other activities that will improve the security of elections for Federal office, including physical security services and social media threat monitoring

Securing systems and data is a continuous effort in Maryland's elections community, and the systems and data we use are protected by the industry accepted best practices for critical information systems. From the voter registration process to the voting process to the posting of election results, we have ways to protect, monitor, test, and restore the systems and processes. We are constantly looking for ways to enhance how we protect these systems and respond to new risks, and these funds will enable Maryland's election community to enhance election technology and the security measures protecting the systems and data we use to conduct elections.