As June 1 nears, many focus on which candidate they will vote for. Nancy Wilson focuses on how much the voting costs.

According to Wilson, Dallas County finance director, the cost of the June 1 election to the county could exceed $100,000. That doesn’t mean the county will have to pay all of it, though.

“Law allows for the state to reimburse us for part of the expenses of an election,” Wilson said. “For a local election we pay for everything.”

Costs include everything from paying poll workers to purchasing the pencils voters use when choosing their candidate. The November 2002 election cost Dallas County about $91,000, though the state reimbursed $34,436 of that.

Wilson said that the county would receive a reimbursement for the June 1 election since it includes candidates that are running for state office. The amount reimbursed depends on what the money is spent on.

Poll workers and inspectors are paid $73 a day. Absentee ballot officials receive $70 a day. A local law upped their pay from $50, which means the state only reimburses half of $50. Dallas County pays for the rest as well as 100 percent of inspectors’ mileage.

Ballots, pencils and the books that voters sign their names in can cost $15,000 to $20,000. That cost is doubled June 1 because a Republican and Democrat primary will occur, which requires two different sets of ballots. The state reimburses half their cost.

The state doesn’t reimburse Dallas County for renting the voting machines, which cost about $2,200. Wilson noted that some counties own their machines, but added that the cost of maintenance made renting them a better move.

Costs don’t just add up on election day. The county is required by law to publish a list of qualified voters prior to the election, which costs about $33,000. The state doesn’t reimburse any of that cost, Wilson said.

The only possibility of a run-off this election is between state candidates, which means the state would pay 100 percent of the costs. The county will pay 50 percent of the costs for the November election since local candidates will be on the ballot.

The process of getting the state’s reimbursements is detailed. Wilson must compile and send all financial information to Montgomery, including cancelled checks to poll workers, invoices for ballot supplies, payroll records for absentee ballot workers and time sheet records. “It’s about a two-inch packet of materials,” Wilson said.