PHOTOS: Padilla, Schiff Announce Federal Election Funding Push to Boost Security, Efficiency

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today,U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight over federal elections and California's former Secretary of State, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced the State and Local Election Security Act of 2026, legislation to provide up to $10 billion for state and local election administration to support election security and improve efficiency. In the wake of the Trump Administration's dismantling of many federal election security activities and the disinformation attacks on California's vote-counting process in the recent primary election, this funding would help states and localities to invest in additional and upgraded voting equipment, physical and cybersecurity, storage space, staff and other needs to improve election administration.

"The Trump Administration gutted federal election security and MAGA figures continue to spread baseless conspiracy theories about our elections," said Senator Padilla. "It's time for Congress to step up and give state and local election officials resources to modernize voting equipment, speed up the vote count, and defend against interference and cyberattacks."

"In California and across the country, local election administrators have borne the brunt of MAGA politicians undermining trust in our elections, while lacking the resources to guard against these threats. They continue to carry out a most critical function in our democracy, nonetheless," said Senator Schiff. "Providing federal funding for election administration would give state and local election offices additional resources to administer elections and respond to election security threats. I'm proud to join Senator Padilla in this fight to give California and other state election officials the funding they need to do the vital work of keeping our democracy functioning and safe from malign influence."

Specifically, the bill:

1. Authorizes a $10 billion immediate investment over three years for election administration funding at the state and local level ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections.
2. Distributes funding through the Election Assistance Commission via the existing Help America Vote Act grant program, with a requirement that at least 50% reach local jurisdictions directly to ensure local election officials can access funds without relying on state intermediaries.
3. Requires states and local governments to report on how funds are used.
4. Authorizes $50 million for the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to restore grant funding to the Center for Internet Security to operate the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which was terminated by the Trump Administration in 2025.

"Our democracy is precious, but it certainly isn't free. It takes real resources to make sure California voters have every opportunity to lend their voices to it. As election officials, that's a responsibility we take seriously every single day," said California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. "The truth is, running safe, secure, and transparent elections comes at a high cost, and right now, it's seriously underfunded. But investing in something as fundamental as our democracy is worth every penny. We need Congress to step up with funding that truly reflects the scale and complexity that goes into administering our elections."

"In this critical moment for American democracy, it is essential that our election infrastructure is secure, resilient, and adequately funded,"said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), Founder and Board Member of Democracy Defenders Action."State and local election officials continue to face unprecedented threats and need sustained federal investment to protect our election systems, strengthen public trust, and ensure every eligible voter can exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted. Democracy Defenders Action appreciates Senator Padilla's leadership in advancing this legislation and his commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our elections."

"We commend Senator Alex Padilla for introducing the State and Local Election Security Act of 2026, a critical step toward ensuring election officials have the resources they need to administer secure, accessible elections for every eligible voter, including millions of Latinos. Latino election administrators stand on the front lines of defending our democracy against evolving cybersecurity threats and a rapidly shifting information environment," said Erica Bernal-Martinez, CEO, NALEO Educational Fund. "Yet even as these demands intensify, a recent NALEO survey found that funding shortfalls remain among their top concerns. This legislation couldn't come at a more important time. Sustained federal investment in election infrastructure is essential to support the Latino elected and appointed officials working at every level of government to protect the integrity of our elections and the communities they serve."

Senator Padilla believes that our democracy is strongest when every eligible American participates. He is a champion for stronger voting rights, bipartisan election administration reforms, and increased funding to modernize and secure our elections. Padilla has consistently challenged the Trump Administration's illegal election takeover efforts. Yesterday, Padilla introduced the Protect Our Polls Act to protect the integrity of American elections from federal interference by armed military or federal law enforcement. Padilla previously introduced the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act, which would place restrictions on the Administration's attempts to implement any unlawful voter restrictions. Padilla and Schiff are members of the Senate Democrats' Election Protection Task Force tasked with stress-testing responses to several threats to the 2026 midterms, including foreign interference and misinformation, the deployment of federal agents to polling places, and law enforcement agents seizing ballots from local election officials.

Full text of the bill is available here.

A one pager of the bill is available here.

Additional photos from today's roundtable available here.

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