Brennan Center for Justice and R Street Institute publish guide to leveraging state resources to help local election officials protect elections
Local election offices adapting to new threats and drop in federal support; need state help
To help state governments prepare for the 2026 and 2028 elections, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and R Street Institute today published A State Agenda for Election Security and Resiliency. Amid ongoing and evolving threats to election security, the agenda shows how state officials can leverage their resources to support local officials in protecting election security as federal support has declined.
“In 2024 we saw state officials stepping up to help local election officials run safe, secure elections. Every state needs leadership like that to protect our elections as we head into the midterms,” said Derek Tisler, coauthor of A State Agenda for Election Security and Resiliency and counsel in the Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program.
The agenda offers state officials ideas and models for strengthening local election offices’ cybersecurity and physical security, such as:
- Drawing on state agencies with training and expertise that aligns with local election officials’ needs in technology, emergency response, and more
- Passing state laws to protect election officials and voting systems
- Increasing state funding for local elections
In 2024, American election systems withstood attempts to disrupt the election: bomb threats against polling places, destruction of ballot drop boxes, and more. A State Agenda for Election Security and Resiliency provides a framework state officials can use to build on those successes and help local election officials adapt to an increasingly complex threat environment.
“Security and resilience are core elements of an election system that is worthy of public trust,” said Chris McIsaac, coauthor of the agenda and resident fellow at R Street Institute. “As the federal government’s role in election security continues to evolve, state and local officials have a unique opportunity to step up and craft innovative policy solutions and models of collaboration that will help ensure American elections remain secure and resilient for years to come.”
A State Agenda for Election Security and Resiliency is available online here.
