State election funding coming to Clinton County, if it wants it

LOCK HAVEN, PA – For the first time Pennsylvania will be providing its counties with financial assistance to help underwrite the costs of staging local elections.

Maria Boileau, Clinton County’s director of elections, updated the county commissioners on the new funding stream at their work session on Monday. The state in its new fiscal year budget, allocated $45 million for the state’s 67 counties. Boileau said the allocations will be based on voter turnout from the spring primary. She said the amount to flow to Clinton County is unknown at this time.

The money does come with strings attached, according to a Spotlight PA article earlier this month. That story said if the state funding program is successful, it could change how elections are funded and run in Pennsylvania.

The same story said the new state funding stream has prompted mixed reactions from county election officials; individual counties would have to apply for the funding and accept the requirements. The measure had been approved in the state Senate by a 46-4 vote and narrowly passed the House by a 103-96 margin.

Commissioners Angela Harding and Jeff Snyder (board chairman Miles Kessinger was not present) did not comment on Boileau’s report. She said she wanted to share the information presently as the commissioners will not hold a voting session until Aug. 4, in the period counties will be determining if they want to receive the state money.