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Delaware gets $3 million from federal budget for election security

Delaware Public Media

Delaware is getting renewed federal support for election security ahead of this year’s vote. 

The Delaware Department of Elections is receiving $3 million out of the $425 million in election security grants included in the Fiscal Year 2020 federal funding bill. 

“This type of safety and security, whether it be cyber or physical security, it’s ongoing. It’s never ending, and we have to always be ever vigilant," said state Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence.

Albence adds the new dollars will go towards bolstering both cyber and physical security at Elections facilities in all three counties. 

“We’re always looking at the building access, looking at building surveillance, ensuring that any facilities that we have elections equipment in are to the maximum level of security that we need,” he said.     

The First State got a similar amount for elections in Fiscal Year 2018. And, again, there is a 20% state match on the federal dollars. 

Delaware’s junior Sen. Chris Coons played a role in securing the funds both years. Coons sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

In a statement, he said “We know that foreign adversaries are actively planning to attack our elections once again in 2020, so we have to make investments now in election infrastructure.”

Delaware spent $10 million in FY 2019 on new voting machines. The machines got their statewide debut last year in Delaware’s school board elections.

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