Published on November 02, 2020

The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) has awarded the City of Bath a $155,000 grant to cover any election-related expenses between June 15, 2020, and December 31, 2020, for the public purpose of planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration. 

CTCL, a nationally-recognized non-profit based in Chicago, received $250 million from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg which CTCL has been regranting to local election jurisdictions across the country. CTCL received over 2,500 applications, including the City of Bath’s application for the minimum ask: $5,000. 

CTCL decided to allocate the money “based on a formula that considers the citizen voting age population and other demographic data,” according to their website, which is why the City was awarded significantly more than their asking amount.

Examples of specific election administration needs which qualify for grant coverage include: personal protective equipment for staff, poll workers, or voters, temporary staffing, and Vote-by-mail/Absentee voting equipment or supplies. 

Bath City Clerk Darci Wheelers said she intended to use the funds to cover temporary pay for election workers, extra PPE not provided by the state, voting booths, election signage, and security cameras. She anticipates that there will be a large portion of grant funds leftover, however, which will be returned to CTCL. 

“It’s a huge relief to know that I can ensure this election is done to the best of my ability, without having to worry about having enough funding,” said Wheeler.

City officials will produce a report documenting how the grant funds were used by the end of January, 2021.