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Huron County elections officials warn pay lag is driving turnover and operational risk
Summary
Board of Elections representatives told commissioners that election administration now requires year-round technical, security and records work, that turnover has exceeded one-third since 2020, and that pay for directors and deputies (deputy cited at about $74,000) lags comparable roles; they asked the board to consider compensation to retain trained staff.
Rob Duncan and Ben Kline of the Huron County Board of Elections briefed the commissioners at their Feb. 10 meeting on recruitment, retention and compensation challenges facing local election officials.
Duncan said election administration now includes extended early voting, vote-by-mail systems, complex voter-database management, cybersecurity and physical security planning, frequent changes in law and a high volume of public records requests. "Elections officials are now responsible for extended early voting, vote by mail systems, complex voter data base requirements, cybersecurity, physical security planning, compliance with rapidly changing laws, and an unprecedented volume of public records requests," Duncan said.
The board's presentation noted turnover among election officials has been high—"more than 1/3 of election officials have left their roles since 2020," according to the presentation—and attributed much of the loss to compensation that does not match workloads and risk. Deputy director pay was cited at about $74,000; county staff said a comparative review done several years ago found the office was roughly $10,000 below comparable positions in other counties at that time.
The Elections Board asked the commissioners to weigh the long-term costs of turnover—overtime, emergency hires and repeated training—against the expense of competitive salaries that could stabilize staffing and reduce the risk of errors, delays and litigation. Commissioners thanked the elections representatives for the briefing and asked that staff follow up with any questions.
