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County elections director seeks $2.1 million election‑integrity grant to offset unfunded mandates
Summary
Director Allen asked council to apply for and accept an approximately $2.1 million election integrity grant to offset costs incurred from changes in election administration (for example, poll‑worker pay and ballot printing); Allen said annual application windows fall in early August and that the funds help reduce county operating costs.
Director Allen explained the Pennsylvania program provides approximately $2,100,000 annually to offset county election administration costs that resulted from changes in state law and operational requirements, such as additional equipment, software and poll‑worker pay. Allen said the grant has an August application window and that the funds have helped the department reduce its budget in prior years.
"To be clear, none of this goes directly to the costs related to mail‑in ballots other than the printing of the ballots themselves," Allen said, but added the program allows charging voter‑registration activities, equipment, software licensing and poll‑worker pay to the grant. Council members said they welcomed the funding and pushed for clearer reporting on how much of departmental activity is grant‑funded versus general‑funded — Allen replied departmental operations have been 75–80% grant‑funded in recent years for many public‑health and election programs.
