The administration of elections has drastically changed due to the passage of Federal and State legislation.  The federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) includes substantial funding to assist states and their potential subdivisions to accomplish many of HAVA's mandates.  The Pennsylvania Department of State applied for and received Pennsylvania's share of these funds.  In accordance with its responsibility for the disbursement of these Federal subsidies, the Department has established a federal HAVA grant administration process.

 

Under the Pennsylvania State Plan that the Commonwealth filed with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the funding received under HAVA may be used only for the purpose of ensuring compliance with HAVA and other activities authorized by HAVA.  Among other election-related projects, the funding may be used for the procurement and replacement of voting systems and for polling place accessibility.

 

Under the Commonwealth's State Plan, each county must complete a County Plan before it can receive a grant from the Commonwealth's share of requirements payments under Title II of HAVA, which by far represents the largest pool of Federal funding under HAVA.

 

To facilitate the delivery of Federal funds to each county, the Department has prepared several County Grant Applications.  Through these applications, each county will be able to apply for the HAVA funding that it will use to support the efforts that it intends to make to comply with HAVA, to fulfill their County Plans, and otherwise to improve the administration of elections consistent with HAVA.  These applications are accessible at the links below and can be accessed by county election directors.