01/27/2023
In 2017, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and CalTech cooperated on a study through the MIT Election Data + Science Lab (MITEDSL) estimating the cost of elections over 26 states to average $8.10 per voter, per election. In May of 2022, however, the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) published an updated report on the cost of conducting elections, also in cooperation with the MITEDSL. Page 3 of “The Cost of Conducting Elections” quoted an Election Infrastructure Initiative study predicting annualized election expenses nationwide over the next 10 years to reach $5.3 billion per year and includes a breakdown of election costs by all 50 states.
According to the U.S. Elections Project at University of Florida’s Department of Political Science, there were 239,470,150 people eligible to vote in the 2022 elections. Assuming an election year, $5.3 billion divided by 239,470,150 eligible voters nationwide is just over $22 per voter. When you consider that the estimated actual voter turnout for this election was reported as 111,549,699, the number jumps to almost $47.50 per voter, per election.
Redo Voting’s $5.00 per ballot cost, paired with a dramatic reduction in required support services, is further amplified with the removal of machine repair and replacement costs from the equation. This represents a massive budget win at every level of every jurisdiction. When taking into consideration the elimination of drawn-out ballot counts and recounts, along with accusations of irregularities and the litigation and violence that can accompany them, the cost savings become exponential.
Reference:
Election Infrastructure Initiative, 50 States of Need: How
We Can Fully Fund Our State and Local Election Infrastructure
Charles Stewart III