– Photos courtesy of the Secretary of State Office
Secretary of State Diego Morales has officially completed his deliverance of election improvement grant checks to counties throughout Indiana in preparation for local, state and federal elections this year, which included Boone and Carroll counties.
According to the Secretary of State Office, 67 counties across the state received an election improvement grant check this year, and $2 million were distributed in total as a part of the Federal Help America Vote Act Election Security program. The checks were a part of the initiative where all 92 counties in Indiana were invited to submit grant proposals last fall, and 67 counties were awarded with funding.
Morales traveled the state to present the counties with their grant checks and sparked conversations with local leaders regarding the improvement needs and plans that the counties have set for the upcoming elections.
“There were many days we hit the road before sunrise to be able to deliver these checks to deserving counties,” Morales said. “From conversations I had as soon as I took office, I knew providing this funding directly to our local counties would be a needed advancement in election security and integrity. I believe safe, secure, and trusted elections start at the local level, and as Indiana’s Chief Election Officer, I want counties to know we’re a team.”
Boone County received a check for $7,793 through the initiative and Carroll County received $19,250.71 through the initiative for election improvements for the upcoming 2024 elections. The funding is slated to be utilized for a wide variety of initiatives, such as voter outreach efforts, additional signage, security upgrades and more.
The Secretary of State Office stated that many of the counties receiving the grant checks presented a plan for election improvements for the upcoming primary election on May 7 while many others are developing plans for the upcoming general election as well.
