GALESBURG — Knox County Clerk Scott Erickson joined election officials from across Illinois and the nation in Washington, D.C., this week to urge Congress to restore federal funding for election infrastructure, which has dropped sharply in recent years.
Erickson was part of a bipartisan delegation of county clerks from Illinois who met Sept. 30 with members of Congress and their staff during “Election Infrastructure Advocacy Day 2025.” The group pressed lawmakers to return annual election security grants to $400 million, the average level provided between 2019 and 2021. Federal funding has since fallen to $15 million for 2025.
“This trip proved to be very successful in building bridges with our federal partners,” Knox County Clerk and Recorder Scott Erickson said.
The Illinois delegation included clerks from Cook, Lake, Knox and Tazewell counties, as well as deputy clerks. They joined more than 80 election officials from 26 states. Meetings included Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Danny Davis, and staff for several other Illinois lawmakers.
In addition to funding, the clerks raised concerns about the need for continued federal intelligence sharing on cybersecurity threats and possible changes to the U.S. Postal Service that could affect vote-by-mail.
Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said restoring federal support is essential. “Rising costs, growing cybersecurity threats, and increased demands on our elections cannot be met without strong federal support,” he said. “Protecting our democracy requires partnership, and voters deserve nothing less.”
The clerks also noted the bipartisan nature of the effort, with participation from both Republicans and Democrats. All expenses for the trip were covered by private grant funding, except for Cook County, which financed its own travel. No Knox County taxpayer dollars were used.
