National grant funds will help more Presque Isle residents vote

Thanks to a $20,000 grant, Presque Isle will make its polls more accessible on Election Day.

The city received the funds from the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life, founded in 2012 to help more Americans engage in the democratic process.

Officials will use the money to buy a new voter booth that is accessible to handicapped people, a wide-body wheelchair for voters, larger-print signs to direct the public and laptops for election officials, said Kim Smith, resource development and public relations officer. As a result, more people will have access to voting.

"This grant will allow the city to purchase signage with a large type face so as not to intimidate or alienate voters, support proper process and navigation of the polling site, and use accurate instructional illustrations to help low-literacy voters," Smith said Tuesday.

Presque Isle has not received public complaints about access, but officials have seen the need for better, larger signs and easier navigation during voting, she said.

The Department of Homeland Security noted election infrastructure was a critical need in 2017, yet most local governments don't receive regular federal money to help conduct national elections, she said. Until the time Congress provides ongoing funding to help offset federal election costs, the grant will help.

More than 35 million Americans with disabilities are eligible to vote — about a sixth of the total voting population, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission . In 2020, 17.7 million people with disabilities voted, an increase of about 6 percent over the 2016 election.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life offered grants in 20 states and all U.S. territories through the 2024 Rural and Nonmetro Election Infrastructure Grant Program. Amounts from $5,000 to $100,000 were designated based on population.

Presque Isle City Clerk Kim Finnemore heard about the grant program from a colleague, and she and Smith decided to apply for the $20,000 allotted for cities of 5,000 to 20,000. They found out Tuesday morning they got the full amount, Finnemore said.

She looks forward to offering better access for voters, including those who may have mobility challenges.

"We've taken some older people out in office chairs," she said. "Some have walked into the polls but just can't make it any further, so I'd like to have a wheelchair to make that easier."

Laptops at the voting site will speed up the process for poll workers, who often have to search through boxes of voter cards to check off voters, she said.

She and election officials will determine what signs they will need to replace old ones, many of which are handwritten.

By improving directions and access, the city wants to eliminate injustice by making sure the polls are accessible to all people, empowering those who may be marginalized to ensure their voices are heard, Finnemore said.

The nonpartisan Center for Tech and Civic Life was founded in 2020 by Tiana Epps-Johnson to help communities run safe elections during the pandemic. Bangor received a $272,104 grant that year. Augusta, Scarborough and Union also received funding. This year the center made $2.5 million available for grants.

Grant winners have to submit a report on how they used the funds by Jan. 31, 2025, according to the center.

Elsewhere in Maine, the town of Belgrade announced on social media it had received a $5,000 grant.

Local election departments are underfunded especially since Congress cut funding for the Help America Vote Act last year to $55 million nationwide, said Epps-Johnson, in an August announcement of the grant program .

"This program will help eligible rural and nonmetro election offices modernize outdated voting technology, improve access to voting for rural voters, seniors, and veterans, and make much-needed infrastructure updates to enhance election security and make voting smoother for everyone."

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan contributed $332 million for the grants in 2020, which created some controversy about private election funding, according to the Washington Post on Aug. 2. The Zuckerbergs are not participating this year.

The center did not respond to requests for a list of other Maine communities that received grants.