Kansas analysis, national report urges more funding for local election administration
TOPEKA — The co-author of a national assessment of challenges faced by local election administrators focused on the failure of some Kansas counties to match rising costs of voting technology and election staff with budgets heavily reliant on property tax revenue.
The joint report from the Robert Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence and the Edward Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston provided election policymakers and administrators with data and research useful in arguing for more sustainable funding of local elections.
Zach Mohr, associate professor of public affairs and administration at University of Kansas and a co-author of the report, said 92% of funding for local elections in Kansas’ smallest population counties was derived from property taxes. He said the property tax was a steady source of money, but it didn’t keep pace with escalating costs.
“It might not be growing as much as we’d like, so that’s a bit of a problem,” Mohr said. “There’s probably a need for more diversification so that it can grow with the growing need. We may need more transfers from the higher levels of government.”
https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/19/kansas-analysis-national-report-urges-more-funding-for-local-election-administration/