THE U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

2020 GRANT EXPENDITURE REPORT

July 2021
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ANNUAL GRANT EXPENDITURE REPORT

2020

Overview

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was created by Congress in 2002 to improve the 

administration of elections for federal offices through funding, guidance, and policy development under the 

Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). HAVA provides funding to state and local election districts to 

support upgrading systems for casting votes, registering voters in statewide voter registration databases, 

providing provisional voting options, and implementing other improvements to the administration of 

federal elections, such as training for election officials and poll workers, polling place accessibility 

improvements, and disseminating information on how and where to vote.

Between 2003 and September 30, 2020, a total of $4,154,617,623 in federal funds has been awarded to 50 

states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands) hereinafter referred to 

collectively as states. This total includes $805 million appropriated by Congress in 2018 and 2020 to 

improve the administration of federal elections, with an emphasis on security enhancements to election 

systems as well as $400 million appropriated by Congress under the CARES Act to respond to the 

pandemic. The Northern Mariana Islands were first authorized to receive HAVA funds in 2020 through the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020.

The 2018 appropriation was the first time since 2010 that the federal government made resources 

available through HAVA to support federal election improvements. States have reported total expenditures 

of $3,670,124,269, or 88 percent of total federal funds and accrued interest, available under Sections 101, 

102 and 251 of HAVA. This total includes $255,252,660 in spending associated with the 2018/2020 

Election Security award through September 30, 2020 and $325,889,204 in CARES ACT funds through 

December 31, 2020.

Under HAVA, funds are available to the states until fully expended with the exception of the CARES Act 

funds which could only be spent to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 election 

cycle. CARES Act funds were only available for expenditure through December 31, 2020. With the addition 

of CARES Act funds, this report covers calendar year expenditures for CARES Act grants through December 

31, 2020 and fiscal year 2020 expenditures for all other grants. 
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HAVA Section 101 Funds

In 2003, the EAC disbursed $349,182,262 to states under Section 101 of HAVA for activities to improve the 

administration of federal elections. Section 101 funds are the most flexible funds available to states through 

HAVA for administering and improving federal elections because the funds by law can be deployed without 

first meeting the requirements of Title III of HAVA. Section 101 funds have been used for a wide range of

activities including voter education, developing the State Plan, training poll workers, and securing and 

storing voting equipment. 

Section 101 funds have been used to conduct preliminary planning for statewide voter registration systems 

and to upgrade and replace county voter registration election management systems for compatibility with 

new voter registration systems. States have implemented voter education programs and conducted 

training for election officials and poll workers. Another key result has been making polling places 

accessible and providing voter materials at polling places in multiple languages.

As of September 30, 2020, states reported total expenditures of $375,037,682 which includes expenditures 

of federal funds and accumulated interest over the course of the award. Thirty-five states have spent all

their Section 101 funds and interest and another 13 states have spent at least 90 percent of their funds.

Most states with remaining funds have designated them for annual maintenance of and enhancements to 

their statewide voter registration systems. Table 1 provides a full accounting of expenditures by states 

which reflects 94% of federal funds and interest expended.

Table 1: Section 101 HAVA Funds as of September 30, 2020

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

ALABAMA $4,989,605 $6,795 $4,823,431 $172,969

ALASKA* $5,000,000 $772,947 $5,772,947 $0

AMERICAN SAMOA* $1,000,000 $66,224 $1,066,224 $0

ARIZONA* $5,451,369 $1,010,134 $6,461,503 $0

ARKANSAS* $3,593,165 $226,288 $3,819,453 $0

CALIFORNIA $26,804,708 $2,351,240 $27,179,892 $1,976,056

COLORADO* $4,860,301 $1,056,513 $5,916,814 $0

CONNECTICUT* $5,000,000 $682,868 $5,682,868 $0

DELAWARE** $5,000,000 $472,080 $5,467,766 $4,314

DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA* $5,000,000 $408,108 $5,408,108 $0

FLORIDA* $14,447,580 $1,859,810 $16,307,390 $0

GEORGIA $7,816,328 $716,814 $7,816,328 $716,814

GUAM* $1,000,000 $12,773 $1,012,773 $0

HAWAII $5,000,000 $1,370,153 $5,000,000 $1,370,153

IDAHO* $5,000,000 $1,807,418 $6,807,418 $0
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STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

ILLINOIS $11,129,030 $1,134,502 $12,119,472 $144,060

INDIANA $6,230,481 $1,015,543 $7,240,335 $5,689

IOWA* $5,000,000 $690,082 $5,690,082 $0

KANSAS $5,000,000 $1,429,453 $3,959,832 $2,469,622

KENTUCKY $4,699,196 $1,145,796 $5,662,619 $182,373

LOUISIANA* $4,911,421 $935,421 $5,846,842 $0

MAINE* $5,000,000 $611,809 $5,611,809 $0

MARYLAND* $5,636,731 $551,709 $6,188,440 $0

MASSACHUSETTS* $6,590,381 $904,363 $7,494,744 $0

MICHIGAN $9,207,323 $1,700,789 $5,925,637 $4,982,474

MINNESOTA* $5,313,786 $64,724 $5,378,510 $0

MISSISSIPPI* $3,673,384 $443,500 $4,116,884 $0

MISSOURI* $5,875,170 $954,107 $6,829,277 $0

MONTANA* $5,000,000 $400,061 $5,400,061 $0

NEBRASKA* $5,000,000 $998,292 $5,998,292 $0

NEVADA* $5,000,000 $452,843 $5,452,843 $0

NEW HAMPSHIRE $5,000,000 $1,296,921 $4,926,544 $1,370,377

NEW JERSEY** $8,141,208 $650,000 $8,167,547 $623,661

NEW MEXICO* $5,000,000 $292,244 $5,292,244 $0

NEW YORK $16,494,325 $4,250,045 $14,825,931 $5,918,438

NORTH CAROLINA $7,887,740 $757,931 $8,639,322 $6,349

NORTH DAKOTA* $5,000,000 $63,997 $5,063,997 $0

OHIO* $10,384,931 $426,837 $10,811,768 $0

OKLAHOMA* $5,000,000 $353,656 $5,353,656 $0

OREGON* $4,203,776 $59,199 $4,262,975 $0

PENNSYLVANIA* $11,323,168 $1,301,492 $12,624,660 $0

PUERTO RICO $3,151,144 $324,193 $3,475,152 $186

RHODE ISLAND* $5,000,000 $140,275 $5,140,275 $0

SOUTH CAROLINA $4,652,412 $895,188 $5,460,763 $86,837

SOUTH DAKOTA $5,000,000 $2,470,851 $5,484,012 $1,986,839

TENNESSEE $6,004,507 $1,072,587 $7,005,687 $71,408

TEXAS $17,206,595 $3,800,187 $20,869,487 $137,296

U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS* $1,000,000 $21,806 $1,021,806 $0

UTAH* $3,090,943 $560,156 $3,651,099 $0

VERMONT* $5,000,000 $580,051 $5,580,051 $0

VIRGINIA* $7,105,890 $1,130,578 $8,236,468 $0

WASHINGTON* $6,098,449 $259,047 $6,357,496 $0

WEST VIRGINIA* $2,977,057 $104,747 $3,081,804 $0
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STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

WISCONSIN* $5,694,036 $978,071 $6,672,107 $0

WYOMING $5,000,000 $1,681,819 $5,574,238 $1,107,581

Totals $348,646,140 $49,725,036 $375,037,682 $23,333,494

The asterisk (*) denotes 35 grants the EAC has closed or is closing. Federal funds and earned interest are fully expended.

The double asterisk (**) identifies grants for which financial data is not current. State needs to file updated data for 

closeout.

The EAC awarded $349,182,262. The lower amount received reflects a de-obligation of $536,122 due to an audit finding.
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HAVA Section 101 Election Security Funds

As noted earlier, Congress appropriated $805 million in 2018 and 2020 to improve the administration of 

elections for federal office, especially to enhance election technology and make election security 

improvements. The funding provided states with additional resources to secure and improve election 

systems. The EAC awarded these funds to the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. Territories 

(American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) through a 

formula described in Sections 101 and 104 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252) (HAVA). 

The Northern Mariana Islands first became eligible for the funds in 2020. To access the funds, states 

provided a budget and a program narrative describing how they would use them. The EAC requested 

funding allocations in five main areas: 

• Voting Equipment

• Post-Election Auditing

• Voter Registration Systems

• Cyber Security

• Communication

States had the option to describe additional areas for expenditures and several states included funding 

allocations to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities, support security training for poll 

workers and staff and implement software upgrades to equipment to improve security.

The 2020 election cycle, beginning with primaries conducted after March 15, 2020, was severely affected 

by the COVID-19 pandemic. States rescheduled primaries and focused their attention on ensuring voters 

could vote safely. Several states reported delays in planned contract activities because state resources were 

refocused on securing the 2020 election and some major expenditures were delayed until 2021 due to the 

pandemic. States also reported decreased costs for travel and training because planned activities were 

conducted remotely. State activities in response to the pandemic are described below in the section on 

CARES Act expenditures. As of September 30, 2020, states had spent a total of $255,252,660 or 31.2% of 

the Election Security funds and interest earned. Table 2 provides state-by-state funds expenditures under 

the Election Security grants.

Table 2: Section 101 Election Security HAVA Funds as of September 30, 2020

STATE

Amount 

Received Interest Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

ALABAMA $13,088,416 $219,236 $3,353,653 $9,953,999

ALASKA $6,000,000 $167,983 $4,370,858 $1,797,125

AMERICAN SAMOA $1,200,000 $0 $451,170 $748,830

ARIZONA $15,860,974 $291,489 $8,483,595 $7,668,868

ARKANSAS $9,503,000 $59,635 $5,336,664 $4,225,971

CALIFORNIA $73,502,386 $1,016,738 $5,535,494 $68,983,630
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STATE

Amount 

Received Interest Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

COLORADO $13,476,843 $343,904 $1,049,403 $12,771,344

CONNECTICUT $10,876,298 $100,846 $5,833,956 $5,143,188

DELAWARE $6,036,503 $0 $5,963,519 $72,984

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA $6,000,000 $97,124 $4,487,398 $1,609,726

FLORIDA $40,800,785 $291,960 $21,257,468 $19,835,278

GEORGIA $21,907,178 $30,828 $7,918,749 $14,019,257

GUAM $1,200,000 $4,620 $474,223 $730,397

HAWAII $6,642,675 $73,321 $366,052 $6,349,944

IDAHO $6,854,176 $125,029 $2,388,077 $4,591,128

ILLINOIS $28,132,931 $540,850 $4,485,343 $24,188,438

INDIANA $16,140,537 $190,781 $8,816,793 $7,514,525

IOWA $9,786,086 $164,126 $2,062,124 $7,888,089

KANSAS $9,308,516 $103,186 $19,200 $9,392,502

KENTUCKY $12,265,189 $35,487 $5,763,113 $6,537,563

LOUISIANA $12,512,099 $196,808 $0 $12,708,907

MAINE $6,643,743 $105,859 $277,290 $6,472,312

MARYLAND $15,010,079 $32,927 $3,947,074 $11,095,932

MASSACHUSETTS $16,769,740 $312,458 $3,624,331 $13,457,867

MICHIGAN $22,760,697 $463,879 $2,441,648 $20,782,928

MINNESOTA $14,014,282 $331,462 $1,101,579 $13,244,165

MISSISSIPPI $9,521,138 $160,975 $8,628,501 $1,053,612

MISSOURI $15,365,191 $310,918 $2,549,269 $13,126,839

MONTANA $6,133,534 $127,483 $2,315,202 $3,945,816

NEBRASKA $7,422,268 $201,902 $1,534,553 $6,089,617

NEVADA $9,083,287 $147,938 $1,698,658 $7,532,567

NEW HAMPSHIRE $6,582,632 $114,044 $1,858,696 $4,837,980

NEW JERSEY $20,740,674 $383,461 $1,398,513 $19,725,622

NEW MEXICO $7,853,131 $241,198 $1,572,204 $6,522,125

NEW YORK $41,431,856 $673,535 $11,836,838 $30,268,553

NORTH CAROLINA $22,050,678 $419,907 $5,266,285 $17,204,300

NORTH DAKOTA $6,000,000 $21,606 $0 $6,021,606

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS $600,000 $0 $205,137 $394,863

OHIO $25,907,133 $468,849 $15,696,584 $10,679,398

OKLAHOMA $11,036,835 $275,874 $1,001,673 $10,311,036

OREGON $11,392,028 $319,199 $1,571,741 $10,139,486

PENNSYLVANIA $28,651,723 $488,894 $25,701,621 $3,438,996

PUERTO RICO $7,818,845 $0 $815,165 $7,003,681

RHODE ISLAND $6,216,181 $71,445 $2,807,362 $3,480,263

SOUTH CAROLINA $12,833,986 $230,800 $3,558,045 $9,506,740
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STATE

Amount 

Received Interest Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

SOUTH DAKOTA $6,000,000 $138,605 $2,949,445 $3,189,160

TENNESSEE $16,077,419 $287,344 $4,221,627 $12,143,136

TEXAS $49,449,808 $2,054,248 $20,745,707 $30,758,348

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS $1,200,000 $4,974 $721,709 $483,265

UTAH $8,714,983 $151,382 $1,305,161 $7,561,204

VERMONT $6,000,000 $91,254 $1,391,104 $4,700,149

VIRGINIA $19,301,044 $437,593 $4,727,727 $15,010,910

WASHINGTON $16,805,722 $303,369 $5,818,635 $11,290,456

WEST VIRGINIA $7,666,929 $49,999 $3,723,458 $3,993,470

WISCONSIN $14,828,442 $276,500 $7,101,301 $8,003,641

WYOMING $6,000,000 $180,356 $2,721,962 $3,458,394

Totals $804,978,600 $13,934,186 $255,252,660 $563,660,127

Three states did not request their full allocations. Total unrequested = $21,400

States also report their expenditures by categories they provided in their original program narratives 

describing how they would spend the funds. Table 3 shows the amounts spent through September 30, 2020

on six main funding objectives. Expenditures by category do not necessarily align with expenditures 

reported on the financial reports because financial reports include unliquidated obligations.

Table 3: Election Security HAVA Funds by Project Category

Spending by Category as of September 30, 2020

Project Category Amount Percent of 

Total Spent

Cyber Security $95,150,783 38.9%

Voting Equipment $61,860,748 25.5%

Voter Registration Systems $27,974,457 11.1%

Other $51,074,839 20.5%

Communications $8,985,191 3.6%

Post-election Auditing $1,517,041 0.4%

Total $246,563,059 100%

Amounts reported expended by program categories do not include unliquidated obligations 

included in federal expenditure reports.

Data is unavailable for New Hampshire and North Carolina.
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The EAC grants staff’s review of state progress reports identified various themes across state activities to 

enhance election security and improve the administration of federal elections. One common activity

between states, irrespective of their relative size or population density, was the choice to spend funds on 

post-election audits after the November presidential election. Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, and 

many other states plan some form of audit with the funds. These audits, which would continue on an 

ongoing basis, most often take the form of a risk-limiting audit (RLA). RLAs involve storing the paper 

ballots safely and securely and taking a random sample of a certain number of paper ballots, counting them 

by hand, and using statistical inference and confidence intervals to determine the success of the vote 

tallying.

In 2020, states also built their cybersecurity infrastructure by conducting tabletop exercises. Many states 

and territories employed tabletop exercises to prepare for unforeseen incidents. Tabletop exercises are 

typically run-in conjunction with an expert or a series of experts on security who can guide staff through 

the proper response to a security breach or other problematic election incident. States also conducted a 

wide variety of cybersecurity training for the state chief election official's office and local election officials, 

covering topics such as cyber hygiene, risk mitigation, information security and election technology, asset 

management and backup and recovery testing. 

States conducted various scans of existing election systems, such as cyber hygiene scans, penetration 

testing, operating system scanning and risk analysis and vulnerability assessments. Over 20 states worked 

with the Department of Homeland Security or other security experts to conduct assessments of local 

election jurisdiction security systems and processes. State progress reports indicated almost 70% of the 

states focused their activities in 2020 directly on cyber security while 50% of the states also spent funds on 
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new voting equipment or enhancements to existing voting equipment to increase security. An additional 

53% of states replaced or enhanced their voter registration systems to ensure security of the data and to 

protect against cyberattacks. Many states spent funds in all three areas. Of the states that have spent over 

80% of their funds, such as Delaware, Arkansas, Florida and West Virginia, the funds were spent to replace 

voting equipment that did not provide a paper trail or were allocated to subgrants to local election 

jurisdictions to address cyber and physical security issues. Four additional states, Georgia, Pennsylvania, 

South Carolina, and Virginia replaced voting equipment that did not provide a paper trail in advance of the 

2020 election.
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HAVA Section 101 CARES Act Funds

As noted earlier, Congress appropriated $400 million in late March 2020 under the CARES Act for states to 

address the effects of the pandemic on the 2020 election cycle. The EAC streamlined its award process,

disbursed the funds to the states shortly after passage of the CARES Act, and alerted them immediately 

upon passage of the Act that they could expend funds as of March 28, 2020. These additional funds 

provided much needed resources for states to cover the additional costs for increased absentee or vote-bymail processes, technology to efficiently request and track mail ballots, safe in-person early or election day 

voting, and communication to voters about the changes in voting processes due to the pandemic. Almost all 

states experienced a significant increase in vote-by-mail, which required purchase of secure ballot boxes, 

high speed scanners and automated letter openers, additional printing of ballots and envelopes, 

expenditures for postage and return postage, and overtime and hazard pay for state and local employees 

and poll workers. Many states faced shortages in poll workers and moved quickly to secure personal 

protective equipment (PPE) for staff, poll workers and voters for the primaries. Traditionally poll workers 

are senior citizens who were more at risk of serious complications and death from the pandemic. States 

conducted extensive recruitment efforts to hire additional poll workers.

Federal funds were only available to the states through December 31, 2020 and required a 20% state 

match. Given state budget crises resulting from the pandemic, a few states did not request the full amount 

available to them because they could not provide the required match. Two states, Arizona and Oregon, 

were not able to use any of the funds because of state requirements for legislative approval to use federal 

funds or state processes that could not be completed in time to take advantage of the funds. Given the short 

period of time available for use of the federal funds, the EAC adjusted its expenditure reporting period to 

cover the entire federal fund expenditure period, March 28, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Table 4 

below covers the period ending December 31, 2020 and includes expenditures by states for both primaries 

and the November general election. Many states are still preparing final expenditure reports as local 

election jurisdictions provide final accounting of expenditures. The data in Tables 4 and 5 contains some 

estimates that will be reconciled as states complete the review of local expenditures and report on state 

match.

Table 4: Section 101 CARES Act Funds as of December 31, 2020

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

ALABAMA $6,498,674 $35,318 $4,376,717 $2,157,275

ALASKA $3,000,000 $12,350 $2,366,993 $645,357

AMERICAN SAMOA $600,000 $0 $600,000 $0

ARIZONA $7,874,848 $16,605 $0 $7,891,453

ARKANSAS $4,719,034 $3,974 $1,409,214 $3,313,794

CALIFORNIA $36,485,465 $0 $36,485,465 $0

COLORADO $6,691,472 $52,101 $6,180,003 $563,570
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STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

CONNECTICUT $5,400,677 $108,013 $5,508,690 $0

DELAWARE $3,000,000 $0 $3,000,000 $0

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA $3,000,000 $540 $3,000,540 $0

FLORIDA $20,253,853 $112,284 $16,559,031 $3,807,106

GEORGIA $10,875,912 $0 $10,875,912 $0

GUAM $600,000 $0 $600,000 $0

HAWAII $3,295,842 $0 $2,876,851 $418,991

IDAHO $3,404,276 $11,597 $3,415,541 $332

ILLINOIS $13,966,097 $45,535 $14,011,632 $0

INDIANA $8,013,610 $6,445 $8,013,610 $6,445

IOWA $4,859,545 $10,473 $4,297,664 $572,354

KANSAS $4,622,500 $0 $4,477,003 $145,497

KENTUCKY $6,090,061 $0 $5,979,582 $110,479

LOUISIANA $6,212,616 $3,210 $6,212,616 $3,210

MAINE $3,299,827 $14,869 $974,099 $2,340,597

MARYLAND $7,452,501 $2,677 $7,455,178 $0

MASSACHUSETTS $8,325,918 $12,519 $8,338,437 $0

MICHIGAN $11,299,561 $14,676 $11,314,237 $0

MINNESOTA $6,958,233 $22,137 $5,835,588 $1,144,782

MISSISSIPPI $4,728,037 $20,687 $1,693,866 $3,054,858

MISSOURI $7,628,763 $7,824 $4,030,794 $3,605,793

MONTANA $3,000,000 $7,563 $218,221 $2,789,341

NEBRASKA $3,686,252 $42,826 $1,611,628 $2,117,450

NEVADA $4,496,720 $13,318 $3,863,956 $646,082

NEW HAMPSHIRE $3,269,494 $11,347 $3,280,841 $0

NEW JERSEY $10,296,913 $14,683 $10,311,596 $0

NEW MEXICO $3,889,527 $127,647 $3,889,527 $127,647

NEW YORK $20,567,088 $13,277 $20,126,258 $454,107

NORTH CAROLINA $10,947,139 $0 $8,339,880 $2,607,259

NORTH DAKOTA $3,000,000 $1,776 $3,001,776 $0

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS $600,000 $0 $478,908 $121,092

OHIO $12,861,311 $41,808 $12,903,119 $0

OKLAHOMA $2,730,486 $24,555 $1,226,867 $1,528,174

OREGON $5,656,663 $32,475 $0 $5,689,138

PENNSYLVANIA $14,223,603 $20,107 $12,538,832 $1,704,878

PUERTO RICO $3,881,359 $0 $2,382,774 $1,498,584

RHODE ISLAND $3,022,037 $0 $3,022,037 $0

SOUTH CAROLINA* $6,372,386 $0 $6,372,386
Page 13 of 17

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

SOUTH DAKOTA $3,000,000 $55,358 $350,024 $2,705,334

TENNESSEE $7,982,281 $7,499 $7,918,831 $70,949

TEXAS $24,546,841 $94,215 $20,859,792 $3,781,264

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS $600,000 $0 $600,000 $0

UTAH $4,321,708 $13,517 $1,848,848 $2,486,377

VERMONT $3,000,000 $1,782 $2,106,301 $895,481

VIRGINIA $9,582,344 $27,537 $9,609,881 $0

WASHINGTON $8,343,778 $44,354 $5,626,093 $2,762,039

WEST VIRGINIA $3,807,691 $8,231 $1,522,814 $2,293,108

WISCONSIN $7,362,345 $4,084 $7,366,429 $0

WYOMING $3,000,000 $45,979 $994,710 $2,051,269

Totals $397,205,286 $1,167,772 $325,889,204 $72,483,854

Asterisk (*) denotes states that have not submitted reports.

Due to state legislature restrictions and timing, Arizona and Oregon could not spend any CARES funds.

Five states did not request their full allocations. Total unrequested = $2,794,714

States also reported their expenditures by categories designated in the progress report the EAC created for 

reporting purposes. Table 5 shows the amounts spent through December 31, 2020 in six main funding 

objectives. While the EAC provided guidance on categorization, expenditures are categorized at each state's 

discretion. For example, one state may categorize subgrants to purchase or lease voting equipment as 

"Voting Processes", while another state categorizes similar subgrants as "Other." Where possible the EAC 

recategorized expenditures that states reported as "Other" into one of the EAC-defined categories. 

Examples of the kinds of expenditures included in each category are described below.

• Voting Processes: Additional costs for printing and mailing ballots, high speed scanners, ballot 

tracking equipment, and ballot drop boxes and leasing of larger polling places to accommodate 

social distancing.

• Staffing: Additional poll workers, election office staff diverted to pandemic response, temporary 

staff, overtime salary for elections staff, supplemental and/or hazard pay for poll workers.

• Supplies: Personal protective equipment, social distancing signage, plexiglass shields, disinfectant, 

pens and marking devices for one-time use.

• Security and Training: Health and safety training of poll workers for sanitation procedures and 

socially distancing in-person voting.

• Communications: Notifying the public of changes to registration, ballot request options, 

precautions and/or new voting procedures in response to the pandemic.

• Subgrants: Funds distributed to local election jurisdictions for costs in any of the categories in 

states which chose to provide the funds for local purchases instead of statewide purchasing.
Page 14 of 17

• Other: Storage and delivery, travel, office expenditures.

Table 5: CARES Act by Expenditure Categories as of December 31, 2020

Expenditure 

Category Amount Expended

Percent 

Expended

Voting Processes $92,983,285 33.5%

Subgrants $48,306,918 17.4%

Supplies $47,856,106 17.2%

Communications $47,684,375 17.2%

Staffing $31,459,922 11.3%

Security and Training $4,716,939 1.7%

Other $4,709,306 1.7%

Total $277,716,851 100%

Amounts do not include states submitting final reports in June 2021.

Amounts are estimates in some cases. States are updating progress 

reports.

Expended amounts may not include unliquidated obligations reported on 

FFRs.
Page 15 of 17

HAVA Section 251 Funds - Requirements Payment Grants

Section 251 funds, known as Requirements Payments, were distributed to states using a formula required 

under HAVA based on a percentage equal to the quotient of the voting age population of each state and the 

total voting age population of all states. States are required to deposit Section 251 funds in interest-bearing 

state election accounts and the funds are available until expended. The funds were to be used to:

• Procure voting systems that comply with the requirements of Title III, Section 301 Voting System 

Standards of HAVA; 

• Implement provisional voting (i.e., allowing a voter whose registration status cannot be confirmed 

at the polling place to cast a provisional ballot); 

• Provide information to voters at the polling place such as general information on voting rights; 

• Develop and implement a computerized statewide voter registration list; and

• Implement identification requirements for first-time voters who register to vote by mail. 

Section 251 funds may also be used for the improvement of the administration of elections for federal office 

if a state certifies to the EAC that it has either (1) met the requirements of Title III or (2) will not spend 

more than the amount of the minimum payment applicable to the state on such other activities.

As of September 30, 2020, 22 states reported spending 100 percent of their HAVA Requirements Payment 

funds (including interest) and another 25 states reported spending 90 percent or more of their funds and 

interest. States reported cumulative expenditures of $2,718,310,626 (See Table 6). All but 12 states have 

less than 10% of their funds remaining. The states with higher percentages include states that had replaced 

a large portion of their voting equipment just prior to receiving HAVA funds. Those states expect to replace 

voting equipment in the near future, and their balance of unexpended funds will decrease significantly.

Table 6: Section 251 HAVA Funds as of September 30, 2020

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

ALABAMA $40,247,219 $2,557,534 $40,436,652 $2,368,101

ALASKA $13,021,803 $3,461,470 $15,747,513 $735,761

AMERICAN SAMOA* $2,490,652 $292,118 $2,782,770 $0

ARIZONA** $45,516,688 $4,353,350 $47,508,539 $2,361,498

ARKANSAS* $24,245,457 $2,542,278 $26,787,735 $0

CALIFORNIA $296,305,593 $46,492,837 $286,695,564 $56,102,866

COLORADO $38,767,048 $4,741,500 $42,972,582 $535,966

CONNECTICUT* $31,109,847 $7,847,074 $38,956,921 $0

DELAWARE** $13,021,803 $1,311,579 $13,004,721 $1,328,661

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA* $13,028,257 $1,935,280 $14,963,537 $0

FLORIDA $148,633,048 $24,397,483 $171,190,236 $1,840,295

GEORGIA $72,641,827 $905,460 $68,465,323 $5,081,964

GUAM* $2,319,361 $48,049 $2,367,410 $0
Page 16 of 17

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

HAWAII $13,028,257 $1,193,385 $12,971,881 $1,249,761

IDAHO* $13,021,803 $1,267,652 $14,289,455 $0

ILLINOIS $110,597,147 $9,213,084 $118,649,289 $1,160,943

INDIANA $54,440,282 $2,280,602 $56,676,561 $44,323

IOWA* $26,645,880 $1,464,817 $28,110,697 $0

KANSAS $24,033,425 $2,518,854 $26,079,277 $473,002

KENTUCKY $36,919,261 $5,429,814 $30,406,135 $11,942,940

LOUISIANA* $39,350,512 $3,552,964 $42,903,476 $0

MAINE $13,028,257 $1,522,838 $14,551,095 $0

MARYLAND* $47,663,156 $3,888,041 $51,551,197 $0

MASSACHUSETTS $58,589,549 $12,957,409 $37,766,703 $33,780,255

MICHIGAN* $88,575,455 $7,735,014 $96,310,469 $0

MINNESOTA $43,962,194 $3,764,051 $47,606,797 $119,448

MISSISSIPPI $25,164,294 $1,589,078 $26,741,357 $12,014

MISSOURI* $50,394,880 $4,268,957 $54,663,837 $0

MONTANA* $13,028,257 $618,633 $13,646,890 $0

NEBRASKA* $15,442,405 $1,046,168 $16,488,573 $0

NEVADA* $18,155,632 $1,272,294 $19,427,926 $0

NEW HAMPSHIRE $13,028,257 $2,431,164 $10,410,561 $5,048,860

NEW JERSEY* $76,360,392 $5,808,946 $82,169,338 $0

NEW MEXICO* $15,599,671 $271,854 $15,871,525 $0

NEW YORK $172,076,865 $33,090,178 $198,174,468 $6,992,575

NORTH CAROLINA $73,460,046 $7,349,172 $78,886,117 $1,923,101

NORTH DAKOTA* $13,028,257 $1,356,359 $14,384,616 $0

OHIO * $102,069,874 $6,307,853 $108,377,727 $0

OKLAHOMA $31,043,081 $4,322,402 $31,163,776 $4,201,707

OREGON $31,243,106 $4,132,436 $34,533,849 $841,692

PENNSYLVANIA $112,821,809 $17,063,949 $128,919,443 $966,315

PUERTO RICO $5,868,252 $223,389 $5,649,494 $442,147

RHODE ISLAND $13,028,257 $485,182 $13,506,985 $6,454

SOUTH CAROLINA $36,384,617 $919,428 $37,121,804 $182,240

SOUTH DAKOTA $13,028,257 $4,898,802 $13,028,257 $4,898,802

TENNESSEE $51,877,745 $7,920,219 $33,631,819 $26,166,145

TEXAS* $180,251,801 $12,381,621 $192,633,426 $0

U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS** $2,319,361 $71,884 $2,319,353 $71,892

UTAH $18,491,597 $732,340 $18,589,858 $634,079

VERMONT $12,453,257 $2,892,693 $10,084,337 $5,261,613

VIRGINIA* $64,499,288 $9,562,569 $74,061,857 $0
Page 17 of 17

STATE

Amount 

Received

Interest 

Earned

Total 

Expenditures

Balance of 

Funds and 

Interest

WASHINGTON $52,955,253 $6,629,712 $59,295,660 $289,305

WEST VIRGINIA $17,184,961 $1,228,148 $17,999,331 $413,778

WISCONSIN* $48,296,088 $4,367,057 $52,663,144 $0

WYOMING* $13,028,257 $1,084,504 $14,112,761 $0

Totals $2,603,787,596 $302,001,528 $2,728,310,626 $177,478,498

The asterisk (*) denotes grants the EAC has closed or is closing. Federal funds and earned interest are fully expended.

The double asterisk (**) identifies grants for which financial data is not current. State needs to file updated data for closeout.

EAC awarded $2,603,857,487. The lower amount received reflects a de-obligation of $69,890 as a result of an audit finding.