By KATIE BRANDENBURG — The Independent
The six counties in State Senate District 18 will spend a total of about $172,000 to host a special election next month.
Some judge-executives say it will be a struggle for their counties to balance the budget after the unexpected expense of an election.
Lewis and Carter counties may also have to pay for a second special election if Democratic candidate Rep. Robin Webb of Grayson wins the election. She represents the 96th district in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Webb is running against Republican nominee Jack Ditty of Bellefonte.
The other counties in Senate District 18 are Bracken, Greenup, Mason and Robertson.
One of the most costly parts of an election is manpower, said Charles Wallace, Carter County judge-executive.
Carter County pays poll workers $125 on election day and $25 for going to a training school to get them up to date on election laws and voting machine usage, according to the county clerk’s office.
All six counties will use four workers per precinct, two Republicans and two Democrats.
Carter County’s election estimate is the highest of the six, at about $65,000.
“If we don’t get some help out of Frankfort, it’s going to be serious,” Wallace said.
He said if Webb wins the election the county will be out twice that amount.
County judge-executives including Wallace have been asking for assistance from Frankfort to pay for the unexpected election.
Wallace said that, without assistance from the state, the cost of the special election will mean cuts to services or employee numbers.
Before the election, Carter County was in good financial shape and officials were able to give county employees a raise, Wallace said.
He said he’s contacted Rep. Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, as well as Gov. Steve Beshear. He talked to Beshear about the problem when he came to the area on July 22 with running mate Jerry Abramson.
Steven D. Applegate, Lewis County judge-executive, said he expects some reimbursement from the Kentucky State Board of Elections but has also requested help from the Kentucky Department for Local Government
Lewis County will spend between $20,000 and $25,000 on the election, he said.
“It’s gonna be a little hit on the county, you know,” Applegate said. “It’s something we haven’t planned for.”
He said the county will be OK without state assistance, but it will have to spend conservatively.
Robert W. Carpenter, Greenup County judge-executive, said he also requested aid from the Department for local government to pay for the approximately $40,000 election.
“All we can do is start pulling it from other places,” he said.
The county clerk’s budget will be amended and preparations for the election will be made, Carpenter said.
Cindy Lanham, public information officer for the Department for Local Government, said some counties in the area have called requesting assistance, but they’ve been referred to the board of elections.
Sarah Johnson, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said all six counties would be eligible for a per-precinct reimbursement after the election. Counties will have to apply for that aid.
The rate for per-precinct reimbursement hasn’t been set for this year, she said. Last year it was about $200.
The rate will be set at the board’s meeting on Aug. 18. The rate will be based on the money the board gets in the state budget, Johnson said.
Applegate said the reimbursement money wouldn’t cover the cost of the election.
Lewis County has 14 precincts and would get $2,800 from the board of elections if the reimbursement amount remains the same as last year.
Another major cost of the election is getting voting machines ready to be used, said Billy Allison, Robertson County judge-executive.
All six counties are using Harp Enterprises to prepare machines, said Bobby Gantley, elections manager for the company. The job includes laying out ballots, setting vote counters and setting machines for the proper precinct.
Cost of setting up machines depends on factors such as the type of machines used, and it’s hard to determine the cost for an individual county just yet, he said.
While some counties will have to make cuts to pay for the election, others are in better shape.
Gary L. Riggs, Bracken County judge-executive said the about $12,000 election costs wouldn’t strain the county budget.
He said the county was prepared for unplanned expenses such as this one, and the cost would be no worse for the county budget than if a bridge had washed out or a similar unplanned expense had come up.
Allison said Robertson County would also have enough money to cover election costs.
James L. Gallenstein, Mason County judge-executive, said he didn’t expect much help from the state because of recent budget cuts, but the county has enough reserve money to cover the cost of the election. Mason County’s election will cost from $23,000 to $25,000.
“They’ve been able to, over the years, save a little money for a rainy day,” he said.
The special election is taking place after Beshear appointed Sen. Charlie Borders, R-Grayson, to the Public Service Commission on July 15. Borders resigned his senate seat to take the appointment. The election will take place on Aug. 25.
KATIE BRANDENBURG can be reached at kbrandenburg@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2657.
