The “costs” of voting: The effects of vote‐by‐mail on election administration finance in Colorado

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveIn this article,I ask whether the adoption of vote‐by‐mail (VBM) has resulted in the promised cost reductions. Additionally, I examine the overall determinants of election administration expenditures after the implementation of VBM.MethodsUsing Colorado as a case study, I use county level expenditures to determine the effects of institutional change on election administration finance, as well as other institutional and socio‐demographic determinants on costs.ResultsI find that adopting all‐VBM elections significantly reduced expenditures. Additionally, I find that after VBM was implemented, the primary institutional determinants of expenditures are the proportion of mail‐in ballots received, as well as the number of poll‐workers, and early voting sites. Finally, I find that socio‐demographic characteristics are predictive of expenditures for election administration. Counties with higher income spent less per voter in federal elections. Counties with higher proportions of Latinx voting‐aged populations spent less per voter, even when controlling for turnout.ConclusionThe results strongly indicate that moving to all‐VBM elections can help cash‐strapped counties save money. However, conversion to VBM may not guarantee that expenditures will be spent equitably.