Washington County receiving $750k in state ‘election integrity’ funds
Washington County is receiving more than $750,000 this year through the state’s “election integrity” initiative to help with various expenses in the upcoming Nov. 7 general election.
The grant, which was accepted by the county commissioners Wednesday during their monthly meeting, is a slight uptick from last year when the program launched to give counties across the state more money to bolster the number of elections workers and ensure there are no delays in counting mail-in ballots.
The state Legislature approved Act 88 last July that set aside millions of dollars in the annual budget each year to be distributed to counties with a list of conditions they must follow in order to use the money for election expenses. Counties are permitted to use the money for new equipment, ballot printing, poll worker training and pay, election transparency upgrades, maintenance activities and the hiring of more workers to pre-canvass and canvass mail-in ballots.
Washington County is getting $750,759 this year to help with election-related expenses, compared to the $733,755 it received in 2022. The amount of money each county receives depends on the size of its voter registration figures.
One of the reasons the program was instituted last year was to encourage counties to begin tabulating mail-in ballots on Election Day and working continuously until finished rather than waiting several days to start or taking breaks throughout the process. Washington County has consistently counted them on Election Day following Act 77 of 2019 that allowed no-excuse mail-in voting, which led to a massive influx of such ballots.
That means the county can use the funds for other needs, such as new equipment. Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said a portion of the funds from last year’s allotment was used to purchase new poll books at the precincts.
“The board of commissioners will be waiting on the recommendation from the director of elections on how to best utilize the resources,” Irey Vaughan said after Wednesday’s meeting. “The last time we received money that was not from the county, new equipment was purchased.”
Elections Director Melanie Ostrander could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon to discuss how this year’s grant will be utilized.
The grant funds, which is allocated through the state Department of Community and Economic Development, will be sent to the county next month.