NC auditor releases county-by-county look at odd-year election costs
The audit found North Carolina’s 2025 municipal elections cost about $8.4 million to administer across 91 counties.
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor has released a performance audit examining the public cost of administering odd-year municipal elections across the state.
The audit reviewed the 2025 municipal elections. According to the auditor’s office, approximately 822,000 people voted across 91 counties that year, based on State Board of Elections data.
The total cost to administer those elections was about $8.4 million. The largest cost driver was personnel, at $5.1 million, followed by operating costs at $2.1 million and building and space costs at $1.1 million.
The auditor’s office said the cost of odd-year elections is generally borne by participating municipalities and special districts. The audit also calculated “cost per vote” for each county, showing wide variation based largely on turnout and scale.
In Mecklenburg County, which had the highest voter turnout among the counties included, 220,805 people voted in the 2025 municipal election. The total cost to administer the election was $1.2 million, or $5.83 per vote, according to the auditor’s office.
By contrast, the auditor’s office said five people voted in Camden County’s 2025 municipal election. The total cost there was $7,589, or $1,517 per vote.
State Auditor Dave Boliek said the audit was intended to identify for taxpayers and policymakers the resources required to administer odd-year elections.
The auditor’s office said the full county-by-county breakdown is included in the report appendix. The office also said the audit does not evaluate the efficiency, necessity or policy implementation of odd-year elections.
The report arrives as election administration remains a recurring policy subject in Raleigh, including debates over election calendars, voter turnout, county costs and the role of state and local election officials.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
