Lee County approves $10,425 appropriation to staff early voting period

The Lee County Board of Supervisors on April 15 approved a $10,425 supplementary appropriation to cover temporary staff for the registrar's office through the end of the fiscal year, the county said during the meeting.

The appropriation funds three part-time positions the registrar said are needed to staff the early voting precinct and registrar's office: one person to work three days a week in the registrar's office and two additional workers to staff early voting for the 45-day statutory early voting period ahead of the primary in June. The electoral board previously approved the positions.

The registrar described the gap between the office's requested funding and the amount approved in earlier budget rounds as the principal cause of the shortfall. She said the office had requested $15,000 in an earlier budget round and received $6,000, leaving an immediate need to appropriate additional funds to meet staffing requirements for the upcoming election.

Gerald Williams, chairman of the electoral board, told supervisors that experienced workers are necessary for the temporary assignments. "It's not that you just go out here on the street, pick some lady or gentleman up and say, you know, we'll put you to work for 45 days. And that person's got to be able to be there," Williams said, arguing for hiring workers with prior election experience.

Board members moved and seconded a request to fund $10,425 through the end of the fiscal year; the board voted in favor. The appropriation covers the registrar's immediate staffing needs through June; the registrar indicated future staffing and funding needs will be addressed in the next fiscal-year budget process.

The registrar also offered additional budget figures for context: she said the office estimated it needed approximately $10,225 to get through the end of the current fiscal year and about $8,936 projected for July for continuing early-vote staffing needs, figures she said will be revisited in the regular budget cycle.

The board and electoral board representatives noted state election code requirements that affect local staffing plans. The meeting record includes discussion that Virginia law requires sufficient competent personnel at each precinct for elections and prescribes the 45-day early voting period ahead of major elections.

The board's vote was recorded as in favor during the meeting's motion-and-vote sequence.