Bucks County will receive $2.4 million in state funding for election operations, officials announced during the recent Board of Elections meeting.
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The funds come with specific requirements, including continuous ballot counting once the process begins.
“Once we start counting ballots or once we start canvassing, we can’t stop until we’re finished,” said Board of Elections Chairperson and Commissioner Bob Harvie. “We can’t take a pause.”
Harvie noted that during the 2020 presidential election, staff worked about 40 hours straight to complete the count.
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To access the funds, the county must submit an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development annually. The allocation is based on the total number of registered voters in the county, officials said.
“We submit that application, we are then authorized to receive those funds from the state,” explained Tyler Burns, the newly-appointed Bucks County Board of Elections director.
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Following each election, the county has 90 days to submit an expense report detailing costs that fit within nine specific categories eligible for reimbursement.
Burns said the Board of Elections’ is preparing for the upcoming November election, focusing on mail-in and absentee ballot applications along with voter registration.
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