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Utah gets $4.1M in grant money to fortify election systems

(Francisco Kjolseth  |  The Salt Lake Tribune)  People arrive to vote early at the Salt Lake County complex for primary election day on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) People arrive to vote early at the Salt Lake County complex for primary election day on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.

The state of Utah will use $4.1 million in federal grant money to help buy new voting equipment, replace the state’s voter registration database and to train county and state officials on new voter security measures.

A report released Tuesday shows states around the country are moving quickly to tap their shares of the $380 million program to strengthen voting systems.

The largest chunk will go toward improving cybersecurity in 41 states and territories.

In Utah, improving security is high on the list of reasons why officials are dedicating $2.3 million toward overhauling the voter database. Another $600,000 will go security training and digital monitoring.

Nationally, a quarter of the money will go to buy new voting equipment. Utah is also spending $1.4 million to help counties upgrade aging hardware.