Special election for Pruitt’s seat will cost taxpayers more than $475,000
July 31st, 2009 by TCPalm.comThe early retirement of state Sen. Ken Pruitt will cost local governments — and therefore taxpayers — more than $475,000.
Tuesday’s special election to replace Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, for one year will cost at least that much.
Elections officials in the five counties that comprise state Senate District 28 base their costs projections upon printing, staff overtime, poll worker costs, advertising and the cost to mail out absentee-style ballots.
“You have to go through the same amount of work as any election,” Martin County Supervisor of Elections Vicki Davis said. “You want a turnout.”
Regardless of the expected turnout, each election office must print and mail vote-by-mail ballots and pay for advertising, sample ballots, the transportation of voting equipment and poll workers to man each precinct for a 12-hour-plus election day.
All 52 precincts in Martin County will be open Tuesday. St. Lucie County will have 54 precincts running from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Palm Beach County has 97 in the district.
Indian River County will have eight precincts in operation, while Okeechobee County has three in the district.
County elections officials expect to eventually be repaid by the state for the election. But there isn’t a timetable on when the state will pick up the cost.
“It is a difficult thing for the state division to determine when budgeting — how many special elections they may have,” Indian River County Supervisor of Elections Kay Clem said. “I have heard counties say they didn’t get reimbursed — I’ve heard it took two years.”
In order to hold down the costs, elections officials said they have had most of the work preparing for the Aug. 4 election done in-house, during regular business hours, to lessen the cost of paying overtime and for poll workers.
Another big cost has been to print and mail out the popular vote-by-mail ballots, with the postage ranging from 44 cents in St. Lucie County to $1.05 in Martin and Indian River counties.
Clem said the paper used in the voting machines In Indian River County is heavier than what is needed for the equipment used in St. Lucie and Martin counties. Davis said the U.S. Postal Service charges based upon the size of the envelope.
Voters are required to pay their own return postage, but elections offices typically cover any postage due.
Also, a large number of ballots have been returned, never reaching the voter.
People can request ballots be sent to their home for any election during a two-year period. However, if the homeowner is away for the summer, vote-by-mail ballots can not be sent to forwarded addresses.
By Jim Turner, TCPalm.com
Tags: budget, election, government, overtime, pruitt, senate, special, turnout, voting
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July 31st, 2009 at 12:45 pm
They should force the senator to cover this.
Nice to know we are so out of debt now that we can afford to cover early retirements.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I agree. When he does’t fulfill his side of the bargain - pulling a Palin and leaving us in the lurch, and decides it’s all about him and his needs, he should pay the State for all costs associated with the special election - it’s only fair, even without the crappy economy. Where are all the jobs that were supposed to be created on the “reasearch coast?”