Dade County holds public hearing after bids return well above earlier cost projections for new elections facility

Dade County commissioners and the county Board of Elections held a public hearing to discuss plans for a new elections facility after contractors’ bids came in substantially above earlier cost estimates.

County leaders told residents the project stems from changes in state election law and growing storage, security and workspace needs for ballot-marking devices, scanners and election records. Commissioners said the county released RFP 2025-01 in May and opened seven proposals on Aug. 7; six were valid and ranged roughly from $2.9 million to $3.4 million.

Why it matters: Local election administrators say current space is scattered and insecure for modern elections operations that include multiple weeks of early voting, expanded equipment and preservation of paper records. Residents at the hearing pressed commissioners about the building’s size, whether a basement is necessary, whether a cheaper metal building would meet requirements, and how the project would be paid for from Dade County’s SPLOST proceeds.

Officials traced the need to past legal and operational changes. Commissioners and election staff described a history in which the county moved from a probate-judge–run system to an elected Board of Elections under state law (Senate Bill 354, mid-2000s), followed by expanded early voting and a 2019 state requirement to adopt uniform ballot-marking devices and scanners with paper ballots. Commissioners said the 2021 Elections Integrity Act (referred to in testimony as SB 202) and subsequent court rulings further…