Report: U.S. Voting Equipment Replacement Costs $2.71 Billion

S. 71 billion. The study, released Friday and shared with NPR, projects that without a large federal funding increase, machines meeting the updated standards will not be in widespread use until the 2040s.

3 years, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center analysis. Louisiana officials reported using machines older than some voters and described removing parts from non-working units to keep others operational. 0 require auditable paper records and other security features.

Jurisdictions have historically replaced equipment at roughly nine years of age, aligning with the timing of new certified systems.

U.S. elections are run and funded at the state and local level, resulting in wide variation in equipment age. Louisiana uses some machines that are 30 years old, while Georgia voters use equipment that has gone through only a few election cycles. Congress provided more than $3 billion for election infrastructure after the 2000 presidential election.

Over the past two years, federal appropriations for elections totaled $60 million, compared with more than $800 million leading up to 2020. Will Adler, an elections expert at the Bipartisan Policy Center and co-author of the report, said funding is the main obstacle.

He noted that additional congressional support could shorten the transition timeline. "Just think about all the benefits you get when you get a new phone or you get a new computer; it runs faster, it's easier to use, it's more secure," Adler said. "So when you upgrade new voting equipment, voters feel those benefits.