Well, that was fast. It took Gov. Rick Scott’s administration two months to formally apply for $19.2 million in election security money. It took the feds one day to approve the request. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Monday released a letter it sent to Sen. Marco Rubio that said the EAC “has reviewed Florida’s disbursement request and approved the request in one working day. We expect funds will be in Florida’s account this week.” … The money will be divided among the state and all 67 counties to improve security procedures to help detect threats to voting systems, such as the attempted phishing emails in at least five counties in 2016 that a federal agency said was the work of Russian hackers.
In a statement, Rubio said: “We know that Florida is a target for Russian cyber-attacks, and I commend EAC for promptly approving much-needed funding to improve election security. State officials should quickly put this money to good use. It is critical that Floridians have confidence going to the polls and participating in our democratic process.”
The feds’ announcement completes a stunning reversal from less than two weeks ago, when Scott’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, said “the answer is no” when asked if the money, which was announced in late March, would be available for use in this election.
After seeing Detzner’s remarks, Scott overruled him and ordered the state to apply for the money.
Full Article: After two months, Florida’s election security money is approved in one day | Tampa Bay Times.