Election officials in the US face daunting challenges in 2024. And Congress isn’t coming to help

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — With election season already underway, some state election officials are expressing frustration that Congress has yet to allocate federal money they have come to rely on. They need it to help cover the costs of securing their systems from attacks, updating equipment and training staff. Election officials face a long list of challenges this year, including potential cyberattacks waged by foreign governments, criminal ransomware gangs attacking computer systems and the persistence of election misinformation. The last chunk of election-related funding was $75 million in December 2022, and federal budget negotiations since have been mired in partisan disputes.