- April 26, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Flagler County's supervisor of elections expects the county's voter rolls to grow from their current 94,980 to more than 100,000 by the 2022 Primary Election, and has asked the county government for funding to hire two more staff members.
The elections office expects 38,000 mail-ballot requests for the 2022 primary.
"As Flagler County's Supervisor of Elections, I have an unwavering commitment to keeping our elections both secure and accessible," Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart wrote in a July 20 letter to the Flagler County Commission. "The 2022 election cycle will present all new challenges, and we must stay one step ahead."
The elections office expects 38,000 mail-ballot requests for the 2022 primary, she wrote. Addressing county commissioners at an Aug. 2 meeting, Lenhart said her office is asking for an increase of $188,639 this year, bringing the office's total proposed budget to $1,898,096.
That proposal is also $9,337 higher than a budget request Lenhart's office submitted to the County Commission in May, before the Legislature passed election-related laws that added additional expenses.
In 2020, Lenhart noted, voters had turned out in record numbers despite the pandemic. Compared to counties of similar size, she said, Flagler's elections office is understaffed, with only eight fulltime staff members. Lenhart would like to have one staff member per 10,000 voters.
Changes in state law will also add costs: For instance, Florida now requires on-site monitoring of ballot drop boxes when they're available for use, so the Supervisor of Elections Office will have to hire additional temporary staff for that — but even so, will not be able to offer 24/7 ballot drop-box availability, has it had in the past.
"The cost of 24/7 monitoring is simply too much to justify, and I will not ask you for that amount," Lenhart wrote. "This change is unfortunate for our voters who have had the 24/7 convenience for many years."
Other legal changes will require the elections office to create a mail ballot system that is more accessible to people with disabilities and order new balloting supplies.
The elections office is also planning for new software and network security costs, a 3% cost of living increase for staff and a new early voting site in Flagler Beach.
There are also yet-to-be-determined costs for precinct changes and redistricting that's expected to take place during the coming year after the county starts receiving data later this month from the recent census.
