2020

Help America Vote Act

Election Security Grants

Award Packet

January 16, 2020
U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISS ION

1335 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY, SUITE 4300 

SI LV ER SPRING, MD 20910

January 16, 2020

To: Chief State Election Officers

From: Mona Harrington, Acting Executive 

Director, Election Assistance Commission 

CC: State Election Directors

Re: 2020 HAVA Election Security Grants

This award packet contains all the information you need to access your 2020 HAVA Election Security 

Grant funds. EAC is making the funds available for immediate access and use, subject to the 

contingencies found in the attached Notice of Grant Award (NGA).

To access the funds you will need to:

1. Make sure your Unique Entity Identifier (formerly DUNS) number and SAM (System of 

Award Management) account are accurate and up-to-date.

A. Your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI/DUNs) is issued by Dun and Bradstreet (D&B)

www.dnb.com and consists of nine digits. EAC will need to verify that you are using 

the correct UEI before payment can be issued.

B. Your SAM account must be renewed annually and must be active before a payment 

can be made. More information can be found at https://www.sam.gov/portal.

2. Send a letter via email from your Chief State Election Official to the EAC requesting 

disbursement of grant funds that includes the following information:

A. The amount of funds you are requesting—you may request your entire award at one time or 

make a series of partial requests during the five-year performance period of the award.

B. Certification that, per Section 101(c)(1)&(2) of HAVA, funds will be used in a manner that 

is consistent with the laws described in Section 906 of HAVA and that funds will not be 

used in a manner that is inconsistent with the requirements of Title III of HAVA.

C. Affirmation that you have reviewed and accept the terms of the award found in the Notice 

of Grant Award.

D. A timeline and brief description of how you will develop the project narrative and budget for 

how the funds will be used in your state/territory. Note: The actual narrative submission and 

budget are due to EAC no later than April 27, 2020.

E. Your UEI/DUNs and the signed Certifications Regarding Lobbying and Trafficking in Persons 

found at the end of this packet.

Note that an optional Template for this request letter is provided at 

https://www.eac.gov/2020-hava-funds

A copy of the Standard Certifications is also provided at 

https://www.eac.gov/2020-hava-funds

Tel: (301) 563-3919 www.eac.gov Fax: (301)734-3108

Toll free: 1 (866) 747-1471
Special Notes on Funds

1. EAC encourages all states to immediately request all of their funds. States have five years, up 

to December 20, 2024, to spend the funds, after which time the funds must be returned to the 

U.S. Treasury.

2. Expenses can be incurred against the grant from December 21, 2019 onward. Contact EAC’s 

grants office regarding reimbursement or matching credit for eligible expenses made prior to 

this date but after October 1, 2019.

3. Matching funds must be made available by December 21, 2021. Cash match must be 

deposited into the State Election Account. In-kind match must be tracked in the same manner 

as cash contributions. Both cash and in-kind contributions should be reported under the 

Recipient Share on the annual Standard Form 425 Federal Financial Report (SF-425), which is 

due December 31 for the preceding October 1-September 30 period.

4. According to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-93) the purpose of 

this award is to “improve the administration of elections for Federal office, including to 

enhance election technology and make election security improvements”. As such, using funds 

from this grant to pay for general operating expenses, historically paid for with non-federal 

funds, may not constitute an actual improvement to the administration of federal elections and 

may be questioned in a federal audit.

5. EAC will process all funding disbursement requests within five (5) business days of receipt of the

request.

The following documents are included with this packet or can be found at the links below:

1. Notice of Grant Award

2. Submission Guidelines—Narrative and Budget

3. Required Federal Lobbying Certification

4. Budget Form at https://www.eac.gov/2020-hava-funds

5. FAQs at https://www.eac.gov/2020-hava-funds
2020 HAVA Election Security Grants

Program Narrative and Budget Submission Guidelines

Purpose and Use of Funds. The purpose of the narrative statement and corresponding budget is to 

provide U.S. citizens, Congress, the EAC and other election stakeholders with information about how 

your state will use these funds to, as described in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (Public 

Law xxx-xxx), “make payments to states for activities to improve the administration of elections for 

Federal office, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements, as 

authorized under sections 101, 103, and 104 of [HAVA].” 

The accompanying Congressional joint explanatory statement (See page 25) states, “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 postelection 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.”

Consistent with provisions in HAVA Section 101, states have discretion upon expenditures within general 

categories. The use categories described in the Congressional joint explanatory statement are consistent 

with aspects of Section 101(b)(1)(A), (B), (D), and (F), among other potential uses. The EAC can answer 

specific questions about how the money may be utilized, and will be capturing questions from states and 

sharing the answers in updated versions of the FAQ document on the EAC website. The activities can be 

an expansion of activities the state has underway with its 2018 Election Security HAVA grant or 

different, allowable activities under Section 101 of HAVA. EAC encourages and will support states in 

developing high-quality submissions that reflect and highlight the important work you are doing to secure 

the vote in your state.

EAC is giving states until April 27, 2020 to develop this narrative and budget to allow you and 

your local voting jurisdictions time to assess your needs and develop robust plans to help secure 

voting systems and processes in upcoming elections. EAC will publish the narratives and 

accompanying budgets on its website. Information from annual state progress reports on 

implementing the activities described in the narratives/budgets will be consolidated and reported 

to Congress and the public by the EAC. EAC will use its clearinghouse, website, and other 

forms of communication to highlight how states and localities are planning to use the funds.

Program Narrative Instructions. The narrative should be one- to three-pages in length and describe 

how your state or territory (hereon ‘state’) plans to spend the 2020 HAVA Election Security grant funds 

and required matching funds. The narrative should include the amount of your award and matching 

commitment and the timeframe (up to 5 years) in which you plan to use the funds. The narrative should 

describe both immediate improvements/activities that are underway and/or that will be in place prior to 

the 2020 election and longer-term activities leading up to the 2024 election and beyond.

Activities Prior to the 2020 Election. In a separate section, be specific about all activities that will take 

place prior to the 2020 election and include the amounts you anticipate expending on those activities. 

For example, if you are updating systems to require multi-factor authentication in advance of the 2020 

elections, describe the specific plans and identify the costs associated with it. Or, if you are purchasing 

new voting equipment that will be operating in time for the 2020 elections, identify the portion you plan 

to charge against the grant. 

If you plan to use the funds to expand activities you are funding with the 2018 HAVA grant, be specific 

about how and in what ways these funds will expand those activities. If you plan to use the funds for 

other allowable activities under Section 101 of HAVA not already supported under the 2018 grant, be 

clear about how the activities are different from activities funded under the 2018 grant.
To ensure consistent reporting across states and localities, use the below categories when developing

your narrative statement and corresponding budget. Use only the categories that are part of your 

planned activities and add to this list as needed.

1. Voting Equipment Replacement and Upgrades

2. Election Auditing

3. Voting Registration Systems and Management

4. Cyber Vulnerabilities

5. Training

6. Communication

7. Additional Categories Requested by States

Budget Narrative Instructions. The performance period for this award is five years; however you 

should submit a single budget that can be anywhere from 1 to 5 years in length depending on how 

quickly your state plans to spend the funds. For example, if your state will use the funds entirely on 

new equipment, the budget period would likely be only one year.

The budget you submit should be line item by category. An electronic version of the budget form can be 

downloaded at: https://www.eac.gov/2020-hava-funds. Budget categories include:

1. Personnel/Fringe Benefits

2. Equipment

3. Subgrants-Voting districts/counties

4. Training

5. All Other Costs

6. Total Direct Costs

7. Indirect Costs

The budget narrative should also include a breakdown by program category (e.g. Voting Equipment 

Replacement and Upgrades, Election Auditing, Cyber Vulnerabilities, etc.) and the approximate 

amount of funds that will be spent in each category. 

EAC Submission Review. Receipt of grant funds is not contingent on the content of each state’s 

narrative/budget submission. However, EAC will review each submission and provide feedback and 

technical assistance that may require revisions to the narrative and budget submission. EAC will use the 

following review criteria:

1. Are the proposed expenses reasonable, allocable and allowable under HAVA and appropriate 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars?

2. Are the budget and program narratives sufficiently detailed to allow both stakeholders and 

federal auditors to understand the plan for spending the funds and track progress to know if 

the funds were used in an effective manner?

3. Are there activities or plans that could benefit from being informed by planned activities or 

experiences in another state?

EAC staff will offer feedback and technical assistance on each narrative/budget submitted.
To: US Election Assistance Commission

Standard Certifications

Certification Regarding Lobbying for Contracts, Grants, Loans and Cooperative 

Agreements

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that: 

(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, 

to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency, a 

Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of 

Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, 

the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, 

continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or 

cooperative agreement. 

(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for 

influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of 

Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in 

connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall 

complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” in accordance with 

its instructions.

(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award 

documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under 

grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose 

accordingly. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed 

when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite 

for making or entering into this transaction imposed by Section 1352, Title 31, U.S. Code. Any 

person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than 

$10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Certification Regarding Trafficking in Persons

The undersigned certifies to his or her understanding that this grant is subject to the 

requirements of Section 106(g) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (22 

U.S.C. § 7104) as follows:

I. Provisions applicable to a recipient that is a private entity. 

A. You as the recipient, your employees, subrecipients under this award, and subrecipients' 

employees may not: 

1. Engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons during the period of time that the award is in 

effect;

2. Procure a commercial sex act during the period of time that the award is in effect; or 

3. Use forced labor in the performance of the award or subawards under the award. 

B. We as the federal awarding agency may unilaterally terminate this award, without penalty, if 

you or a subrecipient that is a private entity 

1. Violates a prohibition in paragraph A of this award term; or 

2. Has an employee who violates a prohibition in paragraph A of this award term through 
conduct that is either: 

a.Associated with performance under this award; or 

b. Imputed to you or the subrecipient using the standards and due process for imputing the 

conduct of an individual to an organization that are provided in 2 CFR Part 180, “OMB 

guidelines to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and Suspension 

(Nonprocurement)”.

II. Provisions applicable to a recipient other than a private entity. We as the Federal awarding 

agency may unilaterally terminate this award, without penalty, if a subrecipient that is not a 

private entity–

A. Is determined to have violated an applicable prohibition of paragraph I.A of this award term; 

or 

B. Has an employee who is determined by the agency official authorized to terminate the award 

to have violated an applicable prohibition in paragraph I.A of this award term through 

conduct that is –

1. Associated with performance under this award; or 

2. Imputed to you using the standards and due process for imputing conduct of an individual 

to an organization that are provided in 2 CFR Part 180, “OMB 12 Guidelines to Agencies 

on Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement),” as implemented by 

our agency at 2 CFR Part 2200. 

III. Provisions applicable to any recipient. 

A. You must inform us immediately of any information you receive from any source alleging a 

violation of a prohibition in paragraph I A of this award term. 

B. Our right to terminate unilaterally that is described in paragraph (1) and (2) of this section: 

1. Implements section 106(g) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), 

as amended (22 U.S.C. 7104(g)), and 

2. Is in addition to all other remedies for noncompliance that are available to us under this 

award. 

C. You must include the requirements of paragraph I A of this award term in any subaward you 

make to a private entity.

IV. Definitions. For purposes of this award term: 

A. “Employee” means either: 

1. An individual employed by you or a subrecipient who is engaged in the performance of 

the project or program under this award; or 

2. Another person engaged in the performance of the project or program under this award 

and not compensated by you including, but not limited to, a volunteer or individual 

whose service are contributed by a third party as an in-kind contribution toward cost 

sharing or matching requirements. 

B. “Forced labor” means labor obtained by any of the following methods: the recruitment, 

harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through 

the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, 

peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. 
C. “Private entity”: 

1. Means any entity other than a State, local government, Indian tribe, or foreign public 

entity, as those terms are defined in 2 CFR §175.25. 

2. Includes: 

a. A nonprofit organization, including any non-profit institution of higher education, 

hospital, or tribal organization other than one included in the definition of Indian 

tribe at 2 CFR § 175.25(b).

b. A for-profit organization. d. “Severe forms of trafficking in persons,” “commercial 

sex act,” and “coercion” have the meanings given at section 103 of the TVPA, as 

amended (22 U.S.C. § 7102

________________________________________ ___________________________

Printed Name Title

________________________________________

Organization

_____________________________________ __________________

Signature Date