Idaho gets $3.2M in grant money for election security

By

Kimberlee Kruesi, The Associated Press

In this Tuesday, March 8, 2016, file photo, a voter fills out a ballot at the Boise Senior Center during the primary election in Boise, Idaho. Security is one of the main reasons Utah officials are dedicating $2.3 million toward overhauling the voter-registration database. U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, released a report showing how states plan to spend $380 million allocated by Congress to strengthen voting systems amid threats from Russian and others. (Otto Kitsinger/AP)

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho is receiving $3.2 million from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to secure and modernize its elections systems.

The commission on Tuesday released a report showing how states plan to spend $380 million allocated by Congress to strengthen voting systems amid threats from Russian and others.

The largest chunk — roughly 36 percent — is being spent to improve cybersecurity in 41 states and territories.

Idaho’s plan to spend the federal money includes devoting $1 million to upgrade the state’s election system and voter registration database, $581,000 to tighten cybersecurity and $700,000 for election auditing.

In accepting the federal money, states were required to provide a match of 5 percent and have five years to spend it. That means Idaho is expected to spend roughly $161,500 of its own funds.