Municipalities: Get up to $1,200 to upgrade your technology, but act fast
The Wisconsin Elections Commission announced a $1.1 million grant program to help municipalities and counties upgrade office computer security for the 2020 elections.
“WEC’s goal is to make sure that every clerk has an up-to-date, secure computer and access to professional IT support,” said WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe. “To do that, we will be offering grants of up to $1,200 to municipal and county election offices using part of the federal election security grants Wisconsin received.”
Wisconsin clerks will have until November 15 to apply.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance on getting the most value from your grant funds.
Background Information
Election officials use their computer workstations to:
- access vital elections records in WisVote
- correspond with voters
- print reports containing voter data
- generate letters
- print labels
- send absentee ballots by email
- receive voter registration forms that contain personally identifiable information
- and perform many other tasks that are critical to running elections
Because each of these workstations may access WisVote, the strength or weakness of any one workstation could affect the security of the entire state’s elections infrastructure and the public’s confidence in the integrity of Wisconsin elections.
To ensure Wisconsin remains safe, WisVote access will require the use of an up-to-date computer system beginning no later than January 28, 2020.
What can the funds be used for?
- Computer hardware and/or software to meet minimum security recommendations
- Professional IT support
- Travel and staff costs associated with Election Security training
See the chart below for more details (or view the PDF version).
| Requirement | Benchmark (Sample) | Grant Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Compliant Computer Hardware and Software | New Computer with:
| $600.00 |
| Compliant OS (in lieu of new hardware) | Windows 10 Pro | $200.00 |
| IT Support | Managed support (proactive IT service) including:
| $500 |
Please don't hesitate to reach out
We provide IT support to many local governments and municipalities in Southern Wisconsin.
We’re well-versed in your specific government compliances and budgeting needs.
Don’t miss the deadline — MOUs must be submitted on or before November 15th, 2019. Please talk to us today to get the most value from your grant funds.
Key Dates
Below are some key dates related to the grant.
How do jurisdictions apply?
The clerk of each jurisdiction must submit a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to the WEC no later than November 15, 2019.
The MOU is available on the WEC website. Simply complete the MOU and return a signed copy to the WEC.
Electronic versions of the MOU that contain a signature are acceptable and may be emailed to elections@wi.gov.
We'd love to help
We provide IT support to many local governments and municipalities in Southern Wisconsin.
We’re well-versed in your specific government compliances and budgeting needs.
Don’t miss the deadline — MOUs must be submitted on or before November 15th, 2019. Please talk to us today to get the most value from your grant funds.
Resources
- Official Page: Wisconsin Elections Commission 2019 Election Security Subgrant Program
- Original Announcement: Wisconsin Elections Commission Offers Grants to Help Improve Cyber Security
