America’s voting machines are aging out – and without a major infusion of federal cash, a new report warns the country could wait decades before election equipment is widely updated.
The report, published Thursday, May 29, finds that replacing the nation’s voting systems will require both years of work and billions of dollars. Congress hasn’t committed that kind of money. Without it, the timeline stretches well past any near-term election cycle.
The funding gap
The report doesn’t name a specific price tag, but the framing is stark: the scale of investment needed is described as massive. What Congress has provided so far hasn’t come close to covering it.
Voting equipment across the country varies by jurisdiction – some counties run systems purchased more than a decade ago, with hardware and software that vendors no longer support. Newer machines cost more than most local election budgets can absorb on their own.
Federal election security grants have existed since the Help America Vote Act passed in 2002, but funding levels have fluctuated, and no sustained replacement program is currently in place.
Congress hasn’t signaled any immediate move to change that.
Reporting by NPR, published May 29, 2026. Read the original report.
