Election Officials / September 24, 2020

CTCL Statement on the Amistad Project

The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) has released the following statement regarding a baseless challenge to CTCL’s COVID-19 Response Grant Program, which is offering funding to election administrators in all 50 states for resources like personal protective equipment and hazard pay for poll workers to ensure a safe and healthy election.

“This year, we’ve heard from countless election officials, from across the political spectrum, who simply don’t have the funding they need to provide a safe, secure voting process for their voters as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this moment of need, we feel so fortunate to be administering an open call grant program available to every local election department in every state in the union to ensure that they have the staffing, training, and equipment necessary so that this November every eligible voter can participate in a safe and timely way and have their vote counted.”

“Since the launch of the CTCL COVID-19 Response Grant program open call, we’ve seen requests from every corner of the U.S. All eligible Americans deserve to have their vote count — regardless of political affiliation, whether they live in rural or urban communities, or somewhere in between. Over 1,100 election administrators across the country agree and have already applied for support. As a non-partisan organization backed by Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisan officials, we are confident that these frivolous charges are without merit, and look forward to continuing this critical grant program in these unprecedented times.”

Preliminary map of local election jurisdictions seeking funding for safe and healthy elections

Pin map of U.S. showing locations of election office grant applicants
Note: All local election offices responsible for administering election activities covered by the CTCL COVID-19 Response grant program are eligible to apply for grant funds. Every eligible election department that is verified as legitimate will be approved for a grant. The minimum CTCL COVID-19 Response Grant amount awarded is $5,000.

Preliminary list of local election offices that have been awarded grants in states with Amistad Project frivolous lawsuits