The Board of Election Commissioners is established under state elections law and technically is part of the judicial branch, but receives operational funding from the City of Chicago. BoEC oversees Chicago’s polling places and ballot processes, including vote-by-mail.
Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2023 Budget
| 2023 Budgeted | 2024 Proposed | Net Change | Percent Change | |
| Appropriations | $56,602,820 | $34,482,421 | -$22,120,399 | -39.1% |
| Positions & FTEs | 121 | 122 | 1 | 0.8% |
Departmental Highlights
- Board of Election Commissioners appropriations are cyclical, with expenses rising in preparation for election years and dropping off after. A significant portion of the department’s election-year workforce is temporary hires, while permanent staff levels stay relatively consistent year-to-year.
- Headcount increased by a net one position, with the addition of a new programmer position accompanying minor title changes.
- Salaries and wages made up the largest appropriation for BOEC in the 2024 budget proposal, followed by professional and technical services. More of the department’s large appropriations are hardware/software related than most other city departments, due to BOEC’s handling of voting machines and election-day communications.
- The largest single-category appropriation increase came in a more than tripling of the department’s Centrex telephone billing budget, up from roughly $625,000 to over $2.5 million.
- Appropriations in the 2024 budget are down in most of the election cycle-related categories, in keeping with the department’s historical trend of ramping up spending during the odd-numbered, municipal-cycle years directly ahead of state/federal primaries and general elections, and then tapering off in the years after. The “extra hire” appropriation used for the department’s temporary election personnel roles is down $8.6 million from 2023, with reductions in outside contracting, postage/freight, rental, graphic services, and legal costs as well.
Historical Context
Board of Election Commissioners appropriations are cyclical, with expenses rising in preparation for election years and dropping off after. A significant portion of the department’s election-year workforce is temporary hires, while permanent staff levels stay relatively consistent year-to-year.
From 2011-2023, the department budget grew at an average rate of 15.0% per year, driven by large investments in the most recent election cycles. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 5.9% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.2% annually.
The department’s budgeted workforce declined at a rate of roughly -0.2% annually from 2011-2023. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of -0.04%.
Staffing
Headcount increased by a net one position, with the addition of a new programmer position accompanying minor title changes.
Appropriations
Largest Appropriations
Salaries and wages made up the largest appropriation for BOEC in the 2024 budget proposal, followed by professional and technical services. More of the department’s large appropriations are hardware/software related than most other city departments, due to BOEC’s handling of voting machines and election-day communications.
Change from Previous Year
Appropriations in the 2024 budget are down in most of the election cycle-related categories, in keeping with the department’s historical trend of ramping up spending during the odd-numbered, municipal-cycle years directly ahead of state/federal primaries and general elections, and then tapering off in the years after. The “extra hire” appropriation used for the department’s temporary election personnel roles is down $8.6 million from 2023, with reductions in outside contracting, postage/freight, rental, graphic services, and legal costs as well.
The largest single-category appropriation increase came in a more than tripling of the department’s Centrex telephone billing budget, up from roughly $625,000 to over $2.5 million.
