Help America Vote Act
Missouri's State Plan
Section 2
SEC. 254. (a) In General.--The State plan shall contain a description of each
of the following:
(2) How the State will distribute and monitor the distribution of the requirements payment to units of local government or other entities in the State for carrying out the activities described in paragraph (1), including a description of—
- the criteria to be used to determine the eligibility of such units or entities for receiving the payment; and
- the methods to be used by the State to monitor the performance of the units or entities to whom the payment is distributed, consistent with the performance goals and measures adopted under paragraph (8).
House Bill No. 511 establishes two new funds in the state treasury: (1) the "Election Administration Improvements Fund"; and (2) the "Election Improvements Revolving Loan Fund". This legislation gives the Secretary of State the authority and flexibility to distribute funds to local election authorities either through grant or revolving loan programs or a combination of both.
Grant Programs
State statutes require the Secretary of State to administer the grant programs created by the statutes to distribute the requirements payments to the local election authorities for carrying out the activities necessary to comply with HAVA. Senate Bill No. 675, passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor in 2002, establishes four grant programs, all subject to the appropriation of federal funds: (1) Section 115.074, RSMo Supp. 2002, provides that the Secretary of State shall administer a grant program for the purposes of providing funds to election authorities to upgrade or improve the voting process or equipment. Section 115.074 further authorizes the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative rules to facilitate the administration of the grant program. (2) Section 115.076, RSMo Supp. 2002, provides that the Secretary of State shall administer a grant program for the purposes of providing funds to election authorities to purchase voting machines that are accessible to individuals with disabilities, to make polling places accessible to individuals with disabilities, and provide individuals with disabilities with information about accessibility issues. Section 115.076 further authorizes the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative rules to facilitate the administration of the grant program. (3) Section 115.098, RSMo Supp. 2002, provides that the Secretary of State shall administer a grant program for the purpose of increasing the compensation of election judges. Section 115.098 further authorizes the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative rules to facilitate the administration of the grant program. (4) Section 115.801, RSMo Supp. 2002, provides that the Secretary of State shall administer a grant program for the purpose of allowing election authorities to receive federal funds to involve youth in the election process and improve the election process in federal elections. Section 115.801 further authorizes the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative rules to facilitate the administration of the grant program. These four statutory grant programs will be the vehicles used by the Secretary of State to distribute the requirements payments to local election authorities.
The Elections Division of the Secretary of State will develop and manage grant programs funded by the requirements payments. The Secretary of State will develop a Guidebook and Application for local election authorities to use in applying for grants. The Local Records Division of the Secretary of State has experience in administering federal grant programs to local government entities and has developed a detailed and comprehensive Guidebook and Application for its FY 04 Missouri Local Records Preservation Grant Program. A copy of the Guidebook and Application can be found on the Secretary of State's internet web page at < http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/localrecs/grants/FY04grantpacket.pdf > and is incorporated by reference herein. The Guidebook and Application developed by the Elections Division will be similar in scope and format to the Local Records Guidebook and Application.
One requirement for local election authorities to receive federal funds will be to comply with a maintenance of effort requirement similar to the one that the State must meet to receive title III requirements payments. The exact details of the local maintenance of effort requirements and calculations on how to figure local maintenance of effort levels will be determined in the process of developing the grant application and guidelines.
Revolving Loan Programs
The Elections Division of the Secretary of State will develop a Guidebook and Application for the Revolving Loan Programs similar to the one it will develop for the Grant Programs. .
Criteria
Pursuant to the statutory authority granted by Senate Bill No. 675, the Secretary of State will promulgate administrative rules to facilitate the administration of the grant programs, including but not limited to the criteria for determining the eligibility of entities for receiving funds. These administrative rules will be promulgated in accordance with the Missouri Administrative Procedure Act, Chapter 536, RSMo.
The Elections Division of the Secretary of State will manage the programs and projects funded by the requirements payments. The Secretary of State will be responsible for accounting of all expenditures, funding, controls and performance in accordance with state and federal laws. The Secretary of State anticipates using a variety of audit practices, including on-site visits and requiring local election authorities to file written reports detailing their progress in meeting the title III requirements.
he performance measures listed in Section 8 of this State Plan will be used as the benchmarks to monitor performance and compliance with the title III requirements.