Erika Vasquez, Contributing writer
Richmond’s elections office is voicing concerns over government support for its running of recent and upcoming Virginia elections.
The electoral office has been making strenuous efforts to overcome challenges including the last two special elections and three upcoming elections left for the year.
David Levine, director of Elections and General Register for the City of Richmond, said at a March City Council meeting budget constraints have been an emerging issue during the last two special elections.
The Richmond election office’s struggles with budgeting include the wake of the 2024 presidential primary. Levine stated that only roughly 40% of what the state had reimbursed for that election had kicked in — while 57% expenses were at the local level.
“My focus is on keeping the process consistent, reliable, secure and accessible, so that outcomes reflect the will of the voters and all voters can feel confident in how elections are run locally,” Levine said.
As of the last special election, Levine noted that a projected total of over $250,000 was left unbudgeted for, highlighting the unforeseen financial burden of elections. The majority of funding for the electoral office comes from the local government, as the exact budget can vary.
Levine stated that the percentage for early voter turnout was currently 2.6% in Richmond — lower than the rates in the surrounding counties.
With the upcoming special election in April, the registrar’s office has been seeing a high voter turnout — that has been expected to be pricey. The state offered a $5 million allocation for the special election to be distributed among all localities, but Levine cast doubt on that being enough support.
“We have this April special election where again we’re seeing pretty high turnout, but we expect significant costs and that of course was not budgeted for elections,” Levine said. “But if we use the presidential primaries of the past as any indication, we know that the likelihood of that going to cover a lot of those expenses is questionable at best.”
The June primary elections in Virginia have now been further pushed than usual to August, according to a previous report by The CT.
Elections officers work to ensure the accuracy and transparency of elections processes. Richmond Election Office spokesperson Nicole Hicks noted that elections follow a ‘structured’ process guided by state law, which includes equipment testing, officer training and established procedures.
“While recent elections have presented a high level of activity, our office plans extensively to manage these demands, including staffing, training and coordination with partners to ensure elections are conducted smoothly and securely,” Hicks said.
Despite the high voter strain on the local processes, Hicks encouraged students to participate.
“We encourage students to make a plan to vote early, verify their registration details and take advantage of available resources to understand their voting options,” Hicks said.
To further support themselves with the density of recent elections, the electoral office emphasized having a close collaboration between staff, the Electoral Board and both the state and local partners — along with additional support if required for certain departments, such as staffing, training, voter outreach and overall coordination.
Richard Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon University and host of the “RVA’s Got Issues” podcast, tied the election office’s recent concerns to the large sums of out-of-state money coming into this race in particular.
“The amount of money, especially from interests and individuals outside the commonwealth, is intensifying voter interest in the current referendum — that’s a good problem to have in a democracy — we like participation,” Meagher said. “But more voters means more ballots and, therefore, more staff time to process.”
Click here to read our full voter guide for Virginia’s redistricting referendum.