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Shawnee County election office warns of rising ballot and equipment costs, eyes $3.1 million replacement plan
Summary
Election Commissioner Andrew Howell told the county commission that security rules, separate ballots for unaffiliated voters in 2026 and state accessibility standards are driving higher operating costs and an anticipated $3.1 million equipment replacement request by the end of 2026.
Shawnee County Election Commissioner Andrew Howell said the county’s election budget will rise in 2026 because of new security requirements, a need for additional ballots in partisan primaries and impending replacement of voting equipment.
Howell said the county expects constitutional amendments next year that will require separate ballots for unaffiliated voters and that “about 100,000 of our increase is due solely to the additional cost of delivering election equipment to 87 locations.”
Those delivery and security requirements, Howell told commissioners, are driven by state-level regulations and by the evolving federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) overseen by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Howell said the county plans to request roughly $3,100,000 to replace end-of-life equipment — poll books, high-speed tabulators, electronic poll books and ADA ballot-marking devices — late in 2026 or in 2027.
Why it matters: The election office runs two major statewide elections in even-numbered years, and primary ballots are particularly complex because each party’s candidate roster can require multiple precinct-level ballot versions. Those factors increase per-ballot costs in primary years compared with odd-numbered years.
Howell said some recurring costs remain constant regardless of turnout, but others are scaling up: costs for additional ballots to serve unaffiliated voters in primary elections, shipping and packaging changes to meet security rules, and the increasing complexity of vendor certification. “We are planning to request replacement of voting equipment as our current equipment will be approaching the vendor's end-of-life service expectations. Current estimated cost of about 3,100,000,” Howell said.
He added that new federal or EAC actions (VVSG 2 and 2.1) could change technical requirements and timing, and that the office is conducting “very deep research work over the next year or two” before final procurement. Howell said even routine delivery now requires heavier packaging — “carts that about 650 pounds apiece” — and that those logistics increase costs compared with earlier years when equipment could be moved more flexibly.
Clarifying details: Howell told commissioners there are 87 polling locations the county must serve; about $100,000 of the 2026 budget increase is attributable to delivery and secure packaging for those locations. He said the county will need more intermittent (temporary) staff in even years and that court subpoenas and related legal work have been increasing.
Next steps: Howell said he will return with procurement research and timing; the commission will consider the election office’s capital needs during final budget decisions.
