Rockingham County Board of Elections recommends $622k operating budget to commissioners after debate over line items and process

The Rockingham County Board of Elections voted to recommend its proposed fiscal-year 2026–27 operating budget to the Board of County Commissioners after a lengthy discussion of staffing, equipment and outreach costs.

Miss Singer, the presenter of the budget, told the board the proposed total would be about $622,000 and walked members through line items compared with recent fiscal years. She said the precinct-officials line reflects an expectation of roughly 96 early-voting officials and about 200 precinct officials for the general election and that those staffing needs — and higher printing and ballot costs — are the primary drivers of the increase.

“We have 96 early voting officials. It is a 12 hour shift. We split that in half and then we have 14 precincts with approximately 200 officials,” Miss Singer said, describing the staffing…