Officials and advocates urge funding, staffing fixes as counties face new election obligations

County election administrators, civil-rights groups and nonprofit advocates told the committee that many counties lack sufficient funds and staff to absorb new statutory and rulemaking demands, and they urged the legislature to pair any new requirements with resources.

Why it matters: Several witnesses described unfunded mandates, rising vendor and staffing costs, and the operational impact of frequent new requirements on small and rural county offices. Speakers said these capacity constraints can affect service levels for voters and the ability to implement audits and new systems.

What advocates recommended: - Sustainable funding: Caroline Stover of All Voting is Local and Cynthia Battle of The Peoples Agenda stressed the need for state support to offset county costs, including staffing, secure storage and equipment maintenance. Battle cited conversations with election officials who said budgets and staffing remain inadequate for new responsibilities. - Training and expertise: Multiple speakers asked that the legislature lean on working election directors and provide training and technical support before imposing new rules or processes. - Consistent statewide standards and an appeals path: Observers recommended clearer statewide standards for handling voter challenges, more consistent procedures across counties and a centralized appeals route to avoid uneven local outcomes.

Ending note: Committee members acknowledged the tradeoff between access and cost and signaled they would include local officials and county fiscal officers in follow-up hearings. Several members asked staff to prepare cost estimates and implementation scenarios for August and future meetings.