Evaluating the Recessionary Impact on Election Administration Budgeting and Spending

Recent research indicates the need to understand the role financial resources play in election administration. A key question is, when considering “financial resources,” how much does economic hardship affect the differences between the budgeted amount and the actual amount spent?. The limited research that has examined this question comes from the United Kingdom; it shows that there are significant differences between the two measures and they vary systematically based upon fiscal environmental conditions. This research examines whether the fiscal environment influences election administration budgets, spending, and the resulting budget variance in local US jurisdictions. Using county election administration spending data from four states, this research indicates election administration budgets, spending, and variances are related to the fiscal environment. Not only does this work have implications for measurement of election cost, but this work is key to understanding the financial situation election administration faces given pandemic-related economic woes.