Ad
Featured
Election 2023: City Council runoff to cost way more than the one in 2021
University of New Mexico students vote at the Student Union Building on Nov. 7. The later runoff race on Dec. 12 between Jeff Hoehn and Nichole Rogers for the District 6 seat on the Albuquerque City Council cost the city about $750,000.
Published
Modified
How much does it cost to run a runoff election?
More than it did two years ago.
The Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office is estimating it will cost between $600,000 and $750,000 to run this year’s runoff for the District 6 Albuquerque City Council seat.
In 2021, the last time two City Council races headed to runoffs, it cost $375,000 to determine the winner of the District 7 and District 9 races.
Since then, the leases for polling stations have increased, said Deputy County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh. Five early voting convenience centers will be open for the District 6 runoff, which pits race front-runners Nichole Rogers and Jeff Hoehn against each other for the seat representing Southeast Albuquerque, including Nob Hill, the International District and the University of New Mexico. Rogers captured 40% of the vote and Hoehn 32% in the four-candidate contest on Nov. 7.
The majority of the money to run a runoff election heads to poll officials, who recently saw a statewide salary doubling — another cost-increasing factor, Kavanaugh said.
Other costs besides the polling site leases include staff at the County Clerk’s Office and supplies like printers, ballot paper and ink.
Kavanaugh said it’s uncertain now how many officials will be needed to handle the upcoming race. The office requested a $1.2 million budget increase, anticipating two runoff elections. Any excess will be returned to the general fund if it is unused. The City of Albuquerque will reimburse the county for the costs.
In 2021, approximately 84,000 voters were eligible to vote in one of the two runoff elections. Only about 16,000 voters turned out, Kavanaugh said.
In District 6, about 33,000 voters will be eligible to vote. On Nov. 7, about 7,400 District 6 voters cast ballots for one of the four candidates. Countywide, voter turnout was around 20%.
Ad
“District 6 has the opportunity to set a good example (for voter turnout),” Kavanaugh said.
Election Day for the runoff is set for Dec. 12, with early voting starting Tuesday, Nov. 21.
