Athena Strategies President Kathy Boockvar co-authored a research paper on the Utilization of Help America Voting Act (HAVA) Election Funding by States for the Institute for Responsive Government.
Kathy and Ashish Sinha reported that federal funds have been robustly utilized, with 85% spent by the end of 2021 and remaining funds have largely been set aside and earmarked for specific known future needs. Long-term significant investment in our democracy is critical to address the reality that election officials are chronically understaffed and underpaid; security, technology, and training are ongoing significant expenditures; and government procurement processes take time.