Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County clerk and elections directors warn of busy 2026 election year; most added costs expected to be reimbursed
Summary
Essex County officials told commissioners they expect 11 elections in 2026, a major rise in vote-by-mail and early voting workload, and a near-term budget increase largely offset by state reimbursements for poll workers and some vendor costs.
Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin and Board of Elections Director Nicole Lamas told commissioners on Feb. 25 that 2026 will be one of the busiest election years in recent memory, and that the county’s election offices have budgeted accordingly.
Durkin described increased service volume in the clerk’s office (passports, IDs, business registrations) and a dramatic rise in vote-by-mail usage: “In 2017 ... we mailed out about 10,000 vote by mail ballots. This past general election, we mailed out 62,000 ballots.” He said…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
