BABCOCK: Election Integrity Requires More Than Words

Editors Note: Derek Babcock is the Chairman Republican Party of Louisiana

Republicans have spent years fighting to restore confidence in our elections. We have pushed for stronger safeguards, cleaner voter rolls, secure voting systems, and laws that make it easier to vote legally and harder to cheat. Those efforts matter, but there is another part of election integrity that does not receive nearly enough attention: making sure the states responsible for running our elections actually have the resources necessary to do the job right.

Election administration is primarily a state and local responsibility, and it should remain that way. Washington should not dictate how Louisiana conducts its elections. But when the federal government imposes requirements on states for the administration and security of federal elections, it also has a responsibility to help provide the resources necessary to meet those requirements. Congress recognized that principle when it passed the Help America Vote Act more than two decades ago.

Since then, HAVA election-security grants have helped states replace aging equipment, strengthen cybersecurity, improve voter-registration systems, train election workers, and make other critical improvements to the infrastructure Americans rely on every Election Day. Unfortunately, federal support has become increasingly inconsistent even as the costs and challenges associated with administering secure elections continue to grow.

That approach makes little sense. Technology continues to change, cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, and voting equipment continues to age. States must continually invest in maintaining and improving the systems that protect the integrity of our elections. Republicans should be leading that conversation because securing our election infrastructure is a fundamental part of securing the ballot box.

Supporting election infrastructure does not mean supporting a federal takeover of elections. In fact, properly structured HAVA funding accomplishes the opposite. It allows states like Louisiana to maintain control of their elections while ensuring they have the resources necessary to maintain secure, modern and reliable systems. I do not want bureaucrats in Washington deciding how Louisiana runs its elections. I want Louisiana election officials, accountable to Louisiana voters and operating under Louisiana law, making those decisions. But state control must be backed by the tools necessary to protect our systems.

There is also a basic question of fairness to taxpayers. The federal government establishes requirements affecting federal elections while much of the financial burden of administering those elections falls on state and local governments. Congress should provide dependable HAVA funding that states can use for legitimate election-security and administration needs while preserving strict state control over the way elections are conducted.

For Republicans, this should be a straightforward position. We believe in secure elections, protecting the ballot box and ensuring voters can have confidence that every lawful vote is counted. We also believe states—not Washington bureaucrats—should remain in charge of administering elections. Those principles are not in conflict. Federal support can provide states with the resources they need while leaving election policy and administration where the Constitution intended it to be: primarily in the hands of the states.

Louisiana has worked hard to strengthen confidence in our elections, and we should continue that work. Our congressional delegation should support meaningful and dependable funding through the Help America Vote Act so Louisiana and other states have the resources necessary to keep election systems secure, modern and reliable.

Election integrity cannot simply be something we talk about during campaign season. It requires vigilance, accountability, secure technology, trained personnel and continued investment. The right to vote is fundamental, and protecting the integrity of that vote is just as important. Republicans should be willing to lead on both.

Derek Babcock is the Chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana.