Secure, fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy. Whether the ballot includes constitutional amendments, presidential candidates or local school board races, running an election comes with a hefty price tag that falls largely on county governments.
That was the message from Richard House, Assistant Director of the Kentucky State Board of Elections (SBE), during a recent presentation at the 2025 Governor’s Local Issues Conference. House, who previously spent 26 years with the Daviess County Clerk’s Office, offered a detailed look at the structure of Kentucky’s election system and the financial realities local officials face.
Four layers of election administration
Election duties in Kentucky are divided among four main entities:
- State Board of Elections – An independent agency that oversees compliance with state and federal election laws. Provides training to county clerks and county board of election members.
- The Secretary of State’s office – Manages candidate filings for state legislative, judicial and statewide races.
- County clerks and county boards of elections – Serve as “the boots on the ground” to run local elections, oversee voting machines and interacts directly with the public and local candidates.
- Kentucky Registry of Election Finance – Monitors campaign finance compliance.
Where the money comes from
The SBE uses both federal and state funds to maintain systems such as the voter registration database, absentee ballot portal and election night reporting tools.
House noted that federal funds for elections have decreased in recent years:
- FY22 - $3.35 million
- FY23 - $3.25 million
- FY24 - $1.19 million
- FY25 - $1.16 million
The SBE also serves a pass-through for counties to receive statutorily-mandate election funds from the state budget.
- KRS 117.345 - $255 per precinct to counties
- KRS 117.343 - 50 cents per registered voter in the county per year for election-related personnel costs
- KRS 116.145 - 25 cents for each registered voter in the county
“If you’ve been around for any election cycle as an elected official, you can attest that these numbers don’t cover very much,” House said. “[Counties] are responsible under the statutes to cover the cost of all elections.”
Election expenses
It takes a lot run an election, beginning well before any voters cast a ballot. Typical expenses include:
- Voting machines
- County clerk office staff and poll workers
- E-poll books
- Facility rental
- Marketing
- Public notifications
- Surveillance equipment
“None of this is cheap, and even with the county clerks working hard to minimize costs, this gets expensive fast,” House said.
SBE is currently conducting a statewide survey of counties to understand their actual costs for the 2024 primary and general election. Based on their current data (72 counties reported representing 80% of registered voters statewide), the average cost per Kentucky precinct in 2024 was $4,033 for the primary and $3,779 for the general election.
After the $255 state reimbursement per precinct, counties still shouldered more than 93% of the cost of elections.
In total, those 72 counties reported $18.3 million in election costs last year — and that figure does not include staff salaries in the weeks and months of preparation before Election Day.
A year-round effort
While voters may see Election Day as a single event, county election staff are engaged in a constant cycle of preparation — from registering voters to testing equipment to securing polling sites.
“People go to the polls and don’t think of what it took to get all that stuff there, but you as county officials know there is a cost to that,” House said. “Election professionals across the Commonwealth give 200% of themselves because they know what’s at stake. They are committed to safe, secure, transparent and accurate elections. Just don’t forget that all comes with a cost.”
