Reimagining the PECF to Improve Elections
Washington, DC – The Bipartisan Policy Center today released its latest report, Reimagining Federal Election Funding, which recommends creating a reliable, consistent funding source for election offices by reimagining the $400+ million currently in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (PECF) as block grants to state and local election offices.
“The debate over federal funding for elections too often focuses on the top line dollar amount and glosses over the source of the money,” said Matthew Weil, director of the Elections Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “The PECF is broken, but reallocating the fund to election administration would provide significant and impactful funding to states to bolster election infrastructure.”
To date, over $400 million sits idle in the PECF, which is designated to finance presidential campaigns; however, no Democratic or Republican presidential nominee has accessed funds from the account since 2008.
If reimagined, the PECF could serve as a dedicated funding source for block grants to state and local election officials and would revitalize election administration.
Consistent federal funds would contribute to:
- Maintaining and updating voter registration systems,
- Providing accessible and secure options for voters to cast a ballot,
- Ensuring fair and efficient ballot tabulation processes, and
- Improving the physical and cybersecurity of election offices.
The original intent of the fund has been rendered moot by the stark realities of financing presidential campaigns. By redistributing the PECF to support election administrators, Congress would empower the American public to directly invest in free and fair elections, improving democracy in a democratic manner.
Read the report.
For questions, or to speak with Matthew Weil, please contact Senior Manager of Media Relations Kyle Fischer.