U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Help America Vote Act - Election Security Program

2022 Program Narrative 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 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.

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 voterverified 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.

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

general categories. 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 previous Election Security HAVA grant or different, allowable activities under 

Section 101 of HAVA. 

EAC is giving states until May 2, 2022 to develop this narrative 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 

narrative/budget 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 2022 HAVA Election

Security grant funds and required matching funds. The narrative should include the amount of 

your award and matching commitment and the timeframe in which you plan to use the funds. The 

narrative should describe both immediate improvements/activities that are underway and 

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

If you plan to use the funds to expand activities you are funding with the existing funds in your 

Election Security 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 existing grant, be clear about how the activities are 

different from activities funded under the existing grant.
To ensure consistent reporting across states and localities, use the below program 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 

2. Voting Processes

3. Voting Registration Systems

4. Election Auditing

5. Cyber and Physical Security

6. Voting Education

7. Accessibility 

8. Other (Provide Description)

EAC Submission Review. EAC will review each submission and provide feedback and technical 

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

that the budget and program narratives are 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. The proposed expenses must be reasonable, allocable,

and allowable under HAVA and 2 CFR Part 200.