Supervisor of Elections wants 53% budget increase; cites new state laws, 2024 election

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·3 min read

Election supervisors throughout the state, struggling to cope with new state election laws and an upcoming presidential election, are seeking substantial budget increases — in some instances topping more than 50%.

What is driving these unprecedented requests?

  • New election laws that require additional staff

  • Ever-increasing voter registration rolls

  • Cybersecurity efforts

  • The upcoming presidential primary and general election in 2024

In Palm Beach County, Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory-Link said new laws regulating "secure ballot intake stations" or what used to be called dropboxes is a significant cost. Voters used to be able to drop off their ballots at an unmanned dropbox at any time of the day. The secure ballot intake stations must now be manned at all times they are open.

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory-Link speaks at the county's tabulation center in Riviera Beach after overseeing her first election in February 2020. With new state laws and an upcoming presidential election, she has sought a 53% increase in her FY 2024 budget.
Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory-Link speaks at the county's tabulation center in Riviera Beach after overseeing her first election in February 2020. With new state laws and an upcoming presidential election, she has sought a 53% increase in her FY 2024 budget.

"I can't just put one person out there," she noted. "We need two."

Sartory-Link has called on county commissioners to approve a $34 million budget for fiscal year 2024. That's a $12 million, or a 53% increase over last year. Elections supervisors in other counties seeking large increases include Flagler, 52%; Orange, 47%; Martin, 22%, Broward, 21% and Brevard, 15%.

The Supervisor of Elections Office registers voters, explains state and local elections laws, staffs early voting sites and call centers, processes absentee ballots and oversees elections based on state election laws. With the surge in population throughout the state, more voting precincts have been created and more poll workers hired.

More: Brevard County Commission's 3-2 vote ends funding for mailing of sample ballots to voters

In Brevard County, the commission voted 3-2 to cut the elections office budget by $318,223, refusing to pay for the mailing of sample ballots to all registered voters or fund prepaid return postage on vote-by-mail ballots. Elections Supervisor Tim Bobanic called the decision a political stunt, according to a report in Florida Today. Commissioner John Tobia, who pushed for the reduction, is running against Bobanic in a Republican primary. Even with the cut, the office's budget increase was 15%.

In most instances, though, county commissions have gone along with the increased budget requests.

Sartory-Link's critics, many of whom have called for a return to paper ballots, questioned the sizable budget increase during a recent public hearing.

“This is exorbitant,” Kathy Savage said of the $12 million increase. David Wood said the increase cannot be justified "when people don’t have enough money to buy groceries."

More: Will Palm Beach, Broward shed flaws of elections past? Tuesday will be the test

Sartory-Link said the additional spending is needed to ensure the integrity of elections in Palm Beach County. “That is what these people repeatedly say they want — safe and secure elections. It is not cheap to have safe and secure elections. We are trying to do things the right way.”

County Commissioner Mack Bernard said the increased spending should not come as a surprise, noting that there were few elections held in 2023 while the ballot will have far more contested elections in 2024. None of the Palm Beach county commissioners raised objections to Sartory-Link's proposed budget. It will be acted upon on final reading this month.

Bernard made reference to the removal from office of the county's former supervisor of elections, Susan Bucher, in January 2019. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Sartory-Link to replace her. Bucher resigned after she was suspended by DeSantis for “failing to accurately report information related to the number of ballots that had been cast” in the 2018 general election. Bucher was accused of using outdated voting systems.

“We do not want to run into that type of a problem again,” Sartory-Link said.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County elections chief: New laws require budget hike