Page:Election Assistance Commission—Use of Grant Funds for Security Services.pdf/1

Logo of the GAO.jpg

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

Matter of: Election Assistance Commission—Use of Grant Funds for Security Services

File: B-333826

Date: April 27, 2022

DIGEST

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) asks whether it may permit states to use Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) grant funds to provide physical security services and social media threat monitoring to state or local election officials. HAVA authorizes the use of grant funds to states for, among other things, "[i]mproving the administration of elections for Federal office." HAVA and the appropriations at issue do not explicitly authorize, nor do they explicitly prohibit, such expenditures. If not otherwise specified in law, an expense is authorized where it bears a reasonable, logical relationship to the purpose of the appropriation to be charged. Here, a decision to allow use of grant funds for the physical security services and social media threat monitoring would be within EAC’s legitimate range of discretion.

DECISION

On December 1, 2021, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) requested our decision on whether states may use certain grant funds made available to them under Section 101 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to provide “physical security services and social media threat monitoring." As discussed below, we conclude that EAC has discretion to permit states to use grant funds in this manner.