Section 2645 - Expenses of county boards and of primaries and elections to be paid by county; expenses of special elections; boards to be provided with offices(a) The county commissioners or other appropriating authorities of the county shall appropriate annually, and from time to time, to the county board of elections of such county, the funds that shall be necessary for the maintenance and operation of the board and for the conduct of primaries and elections in such county, including the payment of the compensation of the employes of the board, custodians, election officers, and other assistants and employes herein provided for, and the fees of witnesses as herein provided; for the purchase or printing, under contracts made by the board, of all ballots and other primary and election supplies required by this act, or which the board shall consider necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; for the purchase, under contracts made by the board, and maintenance, of voting machines, when adopted as herein provided, and of all other primary and election equipment required by this act, or which the board shall consider necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; for the publication of notices authorized by this act, under contracts made by the board, and for all other necessary expenses hereunder: Provided, however, That bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, payable not later than thirty years from their dates of issuance, may be issued by the county commissioners or other appropriating authorities of the county in accordance with the provisions of law relating to the increase of indebtedness of such county, to meet all or any part of the cost of voting machines.1. The county shall be liable for the expenses of holding special elections for any city, borough, township, school district or other municipality or incorporated district contained therein, which is held on the day of any general, municipal or primary election, and on any special question which is required by law to be, or which is, at the discretion of the county board, as hereinafter provided, printed on the regular ballot after the list of the candidates, or on the same voting machine as the list of candidates.2. Any city, borough, township, school district or other municipality or incorporated district contained in any county, holding a special election, as authorized by law, on the question of increase of indebtedness or any other question to be voted on by the electors of such subdivision, which special election is held on the day of any general, municipal or primary election and which is required by law to be conducted or at the discretion of the county board, as hereinafter provided, is conducted by special ballots for such question, shall be liable to the county for the expenses necessarily incurred in the printing of such special ballots.3. If any other day than the day of any general, municipal or primary election be fixed by the corporate authorities of any municipality, school district or incorporated district for the holding of a special election on the question of increase of indebtedness or any other question, as authorized by law, such municipality, school district or incorporated district shall be liable for and pay the entire expense of holding such election, including the cost of printing ballots and supplies, pay of election officers, the rental of polling places, and the cost of canvassing and computing the votes cast.4. The Department of State shall reimburse county boards of election for those additional costs incurred by the county for any special election held to fill a vacancy in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Only those costs which are attributable solely to the special election shall be reimbursed. Reimbursement shall not be denied because the special election is held on the same day as a general, municipal or primary election if the county can show that additional costs were incurred attributable solely to the special election. The Governor may, from time to time, allocate to the Department of State as much money from the General Fund as he deems necessary to permit the department to reimburse the counties for costs incurred in the special elections.(b) The county commissioners or other appropriating authorities of the county shall provide the county board with suitable and adequate offices at the county seat, property furnished for keeping its records, holding its public sessions and otherwise performing its public duties, and shall also provide, such branch offices for the board in cities other than the county seat, as may be necessary.(c) The Commonwealth shall reimburse each city of the first class and county for election expenses incurred in and incidental to preparing, handling, mailing, delivering, counting and storing official absentee ballots requested by any elector in military service, Federal employment overseas, Merchant Marine, and in any religious group or welfare agency assisting the Armed Forces, including spouses and dependents, and bedridden and hospitalized veterans as herein provided in the sum of sixty cents (60¢) for each such ballot mailed or delivered. Each county board of elections shall file in the Department of State, not later than thirty days after every election, on a form prescribed by the Department of State, a statement of the number of ballots mailed or delivered in such manner as is now or may hereafter be provided by law to electors in actual military service, Federal employment overseas, Merchant Marine, and in any religious group or welfare agency assisting the Armed Forces, including spouses and dependents, and to bedridden or hospitalized veterans.
The Department of State shall ascertain and fix the amount due, as herein provided, to each city of the first class and county for election expenses incurred, and by requisition in the usual course shall provide for payment of such amounts so found due from moneys appropriated to the Department of State for such purpose, or shall prorate the moneys so appropriated among the several cities of the first class and counties to be reimbursed, if the amount so appropriated shall not be sufficient for the payment in full to each city of the first class and county of the amount found to be due.
1937, June 3, P.L. 1333, art. III, § 305. Amended 1941, Aug. 1, P.L. 672, § 2; 1945, March 9, P.L. 29, § 2; 1951, March 6, P.L. 3, § 3; 1963, Aug. 13, P.L. 707, § 3, effective 1/1/1964; 1965, Dec. 27, P.L. 1226, § 1; 1982, May 5, P.L. 374, No. 108, § 1, imd. effective; 1990, Dec. 17, P.L. 681, No. 169, § 1, effective in 60 days.