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County Of Sonoma › Administrative Support & Fiscal Services › Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters › Registrar of Voters › Voter's Choice Act › Election Costs
Registrar of Voters

Election Costs

Overview

The Voter's Choice Act (VCA) election model used by Sonoma County requires all county elections officials to post an election costs report on their website that "compares the cost of elections conducted pursuant to [the VCA] to the costs of previous elections" (California Elections Code § 4005(g)(2)). Accordingly, this page features two tables:

  1. One showing the breakdown of costs for each election conducted since Sonoma County began conducting elections under the VCA election model (2022 to present)
  2. The other showing the breakdown of costs for each election conducted in the two years before Sonoma County officially switched to the VCA election model (2020-2021)

Description of Abbreviations/Terms Used in Tables

  • Impartial Analyses: Overviews of county, school, and special district measures written by County Counsel. Overviews of city/town measures are not included becasue they are written by city/town attorneys.
  • MB: All-mailed ballot election model. Elections that meet certain criteria (typically very small local elections) can be conducted entirely by mail (California Elections Code § 4000).
  • Office Charges: Items printed in house, office supplies (envelopes, labels, specialty paper, pens, etc.).
  • Postage: Covers any official election mail sent by our office, including County Voter Information Guides and Vote-by-Mail ballots.
  • PP: Polling Place Election Model. Each voter is assigned to a specific polling place based upon where they reside. For  statewide elections in Sonoma County, there were typically at least 150 polling places, but they were only open on Election Day.
  • Printing Costs: Expenses paid to third parties to print various items (excluding ballots), such as Voter Instructions, "I Voted" stickers, postcards, etc.
  • VCA: Elections conducted under the Voter's Choice Act. Voters can vote at any Vote Center located throughout the County. For regular statewide elections, there are typically at least 31 Vote Centers (including the Registrar of Voters Office) and 21 Official Ballot Drop Boxes located throughout the County in the days leading up to Election Day. 
  • VCA-Like: An emergency election model that the California Secretary of State's Office authorized counties to use in light of the COVID-19 pandemic for the November 3, 2020, General Election. It combined elements of the VCA and PP election models.

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Costs of Sonoma County Elections, 2022-2024

After Sonoma County Adopted the Voter's Choice Act Election Model

April
2022
Special

June
2022
Primary

Nov.
2022
General

March
2023
Special

March
2024
Primary

Nov.
2024
General

Election Info

• Election Model

VCA

VCA

VCA

VCA

VCA

VCA

• # of Registered Voters

16,903

304,087

304,066

2,921

304,322

309,933

• Turnout (#)

6,494

137,725

200,347

1,170

151,927

255,648

• Turnout (%)

38.42%

45.30%

65.89%

40.05%

50.17%

82.48%

Expenditures

• Official Ballots

$17,633

$385,599

$443,248

$6,012

$464,722

$423,950

• County Voter Info Guides

$24,996

$448,763

$838,495

$10,490

$807,204

$1,095,543

• Legal Notices

$6,352

$504

$15,571

$192

$2,796

$14,285

• Impartial Analyses

n/a

$1,199

$4,089

$987

$5,467

$5,934

• Direct Labor

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

• Poll Workers & Vote Centers

$12,431

$260,977

$262,047

n/a

$277,148

$306,068

• Vote Center Supplies

$1,361

$21,300

$28,031

$2,378

$31,192

$27,829

• Transportation of Supplies

$2,120

$30,085

$30,681

$13

$32,647

$31,700

• Printing

$8,071

$72,764

$83,301

$3,764

$147,692

$155,575

• Vote-by-Mail Ballot Supplies

$3,287

$45,356

$85,777

$622

$79,080

$79,270

• Office Charges

$209

$7,253

$40,854

$261

$21,522

$36,333

• Postage

$13,159

$212,796

$240,907

$2,512

$260,956

$318,190

• Computer & Vendor Charges

$10,772

$72,640

$615,724

$6,187

$514,410

$877,833

•  Employee Salary & Benefits

$44,257

$317,989

$471,809

$37,600

$490,999

$640,305

• Overhead

$13,286

$57,698

$87,552

$10,945

$110,715

$130,529

Total Expenditures

$157,934

$1,934,923

$3,248,086

$81,963

$3,246,550

$4,143,344

Reimbursements

•  From Districts & Cities

$144,647

$20,829

$1,455,164

$69,818

$662,035

$1,871,299

• From State of California

n/a

$893,280*

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

• From Grants

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

• From Filing Fees

n/a

$50,662

n/a

n/a

$36,380

$300

• From Candidate Statements

n/a

$83,152

$31,178

n/a

$60,376

$18,890

Total Reimbursements

$144,647

$1,047,923

$1,486,342

$69,818

$758,791

$1,890,489

Summary

Gross Expenditures

$13,287

$887,000

$1,761,744

$12,145

$2,487,759

$2,252,855

• Cost Per Registered Voter

$0.79

$2.92

$5.79

$4.16

$8.17

$7.27

• Cost Per Voter Who Voted

$2.05

$6.44

$8.79

$10.38

$16.37

$8.81

*These funds were originally part of a $1,454,863 grant that Sonoma County received from the State of California for the September 2021 Gubernatorial Recall Election. However, Sonoma County only ended up using $561,583 of it for the 2021 Recall. As a result, the State said the County could apply the remaining amount ($893,280) to the June 2022 Primary Election.

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Costs of Sonoma County Elections, 2020-2021

Before Sonoma County Adopted the Voter's Choice Act Election Model

March
2020
Primary

May
2020
Special

Nov.
2020
General

March
2021
Special

May
2021
Special

Sept.
2021
Recall

Nov.
2021
UDEL

Election Info

• Election Model

PP

All-Mail

VCA-Like

PP

All-Mail

PP

PP

• # of Registered Voters

279,807

4,035

300,586

37,339

17,050

304,983

27,406

• Turnout (#)

187,208

2,285

272,244

16,802

6,987

218,508

12,688

• Turnout (%)

66.91%

56.63%

90.57%

45.00%

40.98%

71.65%

46.30%

Expenditures

• Official Ballots

$263,455

$4,827

$406,620

$28,681

$13,513

$227,809

$27,196

• County Voter Info Guides

$430,980

$6,265

$590,061

$33,065

$12,573

$212,524

$27,249

• Legal Notices

$448

n/a

$7,927

$343

$697

$512

$758

• Impartial Analyses

$3,519

$414

$4,209

$897

$552

n/a

$2,961

• Direct Labor

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

$31,592

n/a

• Poll Workers & Voting Locations

$112,805

n/a

$189,398

$17,097

n/a

$45,541

$5,382

• Supplies for Voting Locations

$32,527

$336

$154,357

$8,614

$721

$24,774

$4,875

• Transportation of Supplies

$67,621

$7

$29,343

$3,854

$53

$20,212

$2,898

• Printing

$3,863

$4

$6,111

$654

$199

$2,397

$1,235

• Vote-by-Mail Ballot Supplies

$41,445

$1,340

$64,789

$7,450

$3,917

$74,000

$4,736

• Office Charges

$18,952

$50

$9,114

$650

$295

$3,616

$250

• Postage

$152,750

$3,124

$139,662

$21,714

$9,671

$179,885

$19,459

• Computer & Vendor Charges

$35,103

$8,302

$32,808

$24,514

$13,735

$49,988

$11,190

•  Employee Salary & Benefits

$323,060

$5,858

$572,641

$72,656

$19,688

$253,250

$53,514

• Overhead

$69,943

$1,711

$95,109

$19,416

$6,139

$51,125

$15,668

Total Expenditures

$1,556,471

$32,238

$2,302,149

$239,605

$81,753

$1,177,225

$177,371

Reimbursements

•  From Districts & Cities

$408,870

$32,238

$1,161,869

$117,607

$75,655

$57,851

$173,901

• From State of California

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

$561,583†

n/a

• From Grants

n/a

n/a

$425,079

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

• From Filing Fees

$27,367

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

• From Candidate Statements

$18,999

n/a

$12,669

n/a

n/a

$13,850

n/a

Total Reimbursements

$455,236

$32,238

$1,599,617

$117,607

$75,655

$619,434

$173,901

Summary

Gross Expenditures

$1,101,235

$0

$702,532

$121,998

$6,098

$557,791

$3,470

• Cost Per Registered Voter

$3.94

$0.00

$2.34

$3.27

$0.36

$1.82

$0.13

• Cost Per Voter Who Voted

$5.88

$0.00

$2.58

$7.26

$0.87

$2.55

$0.27

†The State of California originally granted Sonoma County a total of $1,454,863 for the September 2021 Gubernatorial Recall Election. However, because Sonoma County only ended up using $561,583 of it, the State said the County could apply the remaining amount ($893,280) to the June 2022 Primary Election.

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