The Sustaining Our Democracy Act creates a new federal funding program that gives money to states to improve how elections work and make voting more accessible. Starting in 2026, each state would receive annual allocations to spend on three main areas: upgrading voting equipment and security, recruiting and protecting election workers, and helping underserved communities vote more easily—including people with disabilities, racial and language minorities, military voters, and Native Americans.

States have to submit detailed plans explaining how they'll use the money, and these plans must be approved by a new Office of Democracy Advancement and Innovation before funds are released. States can save unused money for future years. The law includes important guardrails: states cannot use the funds to intimidate voters or election workers, remove election officials without cause, restrict food and water at polling places, or defend against voter suppression lawsuits. If a state doesn't submit a plan, the money can go directly to local election officials within that state instead.

The bill requires states to report back on how they spent the money and makes all plans and reports publicly available online. This is designed to strengthen election administration across the country by giving states resources to modernize their systems, support the people who run elections, and remove barriers that prevent eligible citizens from voting.