Centre County Anticipates $526K From Pa. Election Grant Program

Centre County expects to receive $526,589 from a Pennsylvania elections grant program now in its fourth year.

The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday authorized the county Office of Elections and Voter Registration to apply for a 2025-26 Election Integrity Grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Authorized by Act 88 signed into law in August 2022, the grant program allocates about $45 million annually to counties for election administration.

“We do appreciate the funding from the state legislature for this,” Commissioner Mark Higgins said. “I think this [program] is the first funding that commissioners in Pennsylvania have seen for elections since 1800, if not earlier.”

The grant will be used toward costs for the November 2025 general election and the May 2026 primary. Counties can use the funds for a multitude of purposes, including costs related to voter registration, staffing, Election Day operations, equipment security and reporting.

Distributions are based on voter registration, and Centre County’s has fluctuated between about $520,000 and $540,000 throughout the four years of the program. The county elections office, which has a total budget of $2.1 million for 2025, has used the funds for a variety of costs, including the implementation of electronic poll books this year.

“This is really crucial for keeping our elections up to date, and all the costs that go into elections is quite a lot,” Commissioner Amber Concepcion said.

Commissioners also noted that the November election will mark the elections office’s first operating out of the new county Community Services Building, which is expected to open soon at the renovated former Centre Crest nursing home in Bellefonte.

Melanie Bailey, director of elections and voter registration, said the new offices will allow virtually all functions — from poll worker training to vote by mail operations — to take place under one roof, which has not been possible in its tight space at the Willowbank Building.

“We don’t have to go to 15 different areas to get all of our stuff,” Bailey said.

“I think it’s really going to make our election process a whole lot better,” added Commissioner Steve Dershem.