Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Paula Buff says ending absentee ballots would “devastate” Flathead County budget
Summary
Election administrator Paula Buff told commissioners the FY27 budget anticipates equipment replacements and that eliminating absentee (mail) voting would sharply raise per‑ballot costs and slow results; she outlined how special school and special‑purpose elections are billed and reimbursed to make those costs net zero.
Paula Buff, Flathead County election administrator, presented the election office’s FY27 budget at the May 12 commissioners’ meeting and cautioned that major procedural changes at the state or federal level could sharply increase local costs. "If [absentee voting] were to happen and we were to go to a polling place election for all elections...it would be devastating for the county budget," Buff said.
Buff explained the county does not pre‑budget school and special‑purpose elections because those contests are reimbursed by the districts and typically net to zero after back billing. She described a cost‑allocation spreadsheet that amortizes total election costs to a per‑ballot figure assigned to each district that appears on a given ballot.
On equipment and capital needs, Buff said tabulators and ExpressVote machines are now expected to have a shorter service life—about seven years rather than 10—and the office advanced those replacements in the CIP for FY27. She also noted that because Flathead County’s electorate exceeds 8,000, staff can begin ballot prep three days before an election and reconcilie issued ballots in real time, which helps release results promptly on election night.
Buff gave several per‑ballot cost examples drawn from recent local experience: bulk mailing ballots costs about $0.23 per ballot under the county’s nonprofit postage permit; an absentee/mail‑centric election runs roughly $1.00 per ballot on average; a broadly run polling‑place election could exceed $3 per ballot and—depending on turnout at a given precinct—approach $12–$13 per ballot when staffing and other fixed costs are allocated. She said absentee ballots reduce human‑interaction errors because they are issued and tracked through the statewide voter system.
Why it matters: A move to all polling‑place voting would raise local election costs and delay reporting, and county budgeting for equipment and operations already anticipates shorter replacement cycles for tabulators and ExpressVote units. Buff’s presentation did not propose a policy change—she described operational and fiscal impacts should state or federal law alter current absentee procedures.
The commissioners did not take a policy vote at the meeting; the presentation was part of the FY27 budget review. The FY27 fiscal year begins in July when CIP items and staffing adjustments would take effect.
