Taxpayers in St. Charles County deserve transparency about election costs, especially with the prospect of saving at least $68,000 every year. The county’s voting machines were purchased in 2013 for $1,021,685. The Election Director, Kurt Bahr, in an email to the County Council on April 3, 2025, claims the only ongoing expense for these machines is a $22,545 annual licensing fee, totaling $247,995 over 11 years (2014–2025). However, a review of County Council-approved purchases from 2010 to 2023, plus two recent approvals in 2025 totaling $127,000, reveals additional costs not covered by this fee, amounting to $3,959,604 when excluding poll pad expenses (used for voter check-in).

Since 2013, voting machine-related expenses, including the pro-rated initial purchase cost, total $3,342,291. From the summary of election costs provided by Councilman Joe Brazil, we identified other machine expenses which include:

The costs listed above average $303,845 per year, or $277,263 per year when adjusted for costs that would be eliminated by hand counting (e.g., licensing, machine-specific services, and equipment). Keep in mind, the list contains only expenses requiring council approval. Other regular budget expenditures (e.g., salaries and benefits for staff who are partly or wholly dedicated to working with voting machines, network charges, storage and facility, cybersecurity, etc.) are not included in these voting machine estimates.

The machines, now 12 years old, are nearing the end of their 10–15-year lifespan. Given their age and outdated 2008 technology, the county will likely need to purchase new machines in the next 1–3 years, potentially costing over $1.5 million based on historical prices adjusted for inflation. These looming expenses add to the financial burden of machine-based elections.

Other election costs (excluding voting machines and poll pads) total $524,623, covering printing, mailing, delivery services, data warehousing, and absentee services counters. The $22,545 annual licensing fee is not listed in the Council-approved purchases document, raising questions about the ability to track all election expenses. An updated report, expected soon, may provide further clarity.

In December 2023, Election Director Kurt Bahr presented an estimate to the County Council, claiming that hand counting three upcoming elections in 2024 (municipal, primary, general) would cost $1,303,826. This figure was based on flawed assumptions, including incorrect voter turnout and race counts, as well as unclear formulas.

In response, we developed the Hand Count Estimator tool, which calculated a more accurate cost of $581,500 for hand counting those 2024 elections — a presidential election year.

Kurt Bahr’s April 3rd email to the County Council informed them he had attended our Hand Count Demo at the State Capitol the day before. Without referencing his 2023 estimate of $1.3 million for 2024, he simply informed the Council that using our estimator tool provided a labor estimate of $287,520 for a presidential election. (We appreciate his acknowledgement of our work.)

Bahr failed to highlight the $1 million reduction from his original claim. He also failed to mention (and perhaps did not grasp the fact) that presidential elections occur once every four years, and the estimate for municipal elections, which occur annually, is less than $40,000. Either of these points would demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of hand counting.

Using our estimator tool with updated data, we’ve calculated the labor costs for hand counting over a 4-year cycle (2024–2027): $37,920 annually for municipal elections, $100,800 every 2 years for primaries, $179,520 every 4 years for mid-terms, and $304,800 every 4 years for presidential elections. This averages to $209,400 per year.

Compared to the $277,263 annual cost of voting machines, hand counting would save $67,863 per year — at a minimum, while redirecting funds to local election judges and keeping money in the community.

Proof Hand Counting Costs Less than Machines

Tags: costs ▪ Hand Count Estimator ▪ Joe Brazil ▪ Kurt Bahr ▪ St Charles County ▪ voting machines