Paying election directors a livable wage supports our democracy

Why county election director salaries are important

County election directors play a critical role in running efficient, secure elections and protecting voters. Their responsibilities include[1]:

• Procuring and maintaining election equipment
• Training, supervising, and directing the work of election staff
• Creating emergency plans
• Preparing department budgets and monitoring spending and financial records
• Supervising voter registration and maintenance of up-to-date voter lists
• Building working relationships with local policymakers and state officials
• Distributing information about elections to the media, candidates, political parties, and the general public
• Responding to election-related complaints
• Ensuring elections are conducted in compliance with election laws

These and other director responsibilities require directors with strong managerial skills, along with comprehensive knowledge of election laws and regulations. To attract and retain experienced professionals capable of managing these complex demands and administering high-quality elections, counties must offer adequate and competitive salaries for these roles.

State guidelines for election director salaries

State law contains some provisions for county election director salaries but doesn’t require that they’re paid competitive or living wages.

The law says that election director pay has to be comparable in similar counties, with similar populations and number of registered voters. However, the law provides no guidance on what this means in practice.

State law also requires that directors be paid the equivalent of at least $12/hour, but this minimum has not been updated since 1999 to reflect inflation or rising costs of living.  At full-time hours, this translates to an annual salary of less than $25,000, which is far below a living wage in any NC county.[2]

A 2014 court case (Gilbert v. Guilford County) provided some additional guidance about county election director pay. It held that a county board of commissioners (who are ultimately responsible for setting salaries) should consider what share of the population is registered to vote, how transient the population is, several factors that influence how complex county elections are, and how experienced and dedicated the elections director is.[3] But other than individual election directors suing counties that they believe are violating these guidelines, there’s no way to enforce them. [4]

Why low salaries are a problem

Election director pay affects whether counties can recruit and retain skilled directors to run consistent, reliable elections and adequately prepare for future elections. Research has found that lower pay relative to a county’s population are associated with shorter tenure, while counties offering higher pay tend to retain directors longer.[5] Turnover among election officials nationwide and in North Carolina has increased significantly since 2000, and even more steeply since 2020.[6]

High turnover means loss of institutional knowledge.[7] Over time, directors develop the expertise needed to train election workers and plan the staffing, resources, and processes required to comply with election laws and meet time-sensitive ballot verification deadlines. Retention also matters because experienced directors build relationships with local decision-makers that help secure needed funding for election administration.

Pay levels may also shape election outcomes more broadly. Research suggests that higher director salaries per voter is associated with higher voter turnout in NC counties.[8]

At the same time, the role of election director has grown more challenging, due to:

• Rule changes from the state that counties must implement, often without providing funding support
• Increased harassment and threats directed at election staff
• Increased public scrutiny into elections and requests for public information
• More complex voting technology and cybersecurity risks, which require additional safeguards and steps to keep election systems secure

Current salaries vary widely and are below a living income in many counties

Regardless of county size, every county’s election director faces growing responsibilities and demands in their role. Yet, salaries vary widely across NC and often fall below a living income in many counties.

Based on 2024 salary data, annual election director pay ranges from just over $40,000 in Hyde and Graham counties to about $198,000 in Wake County.[9]

In 44 counties, the director salary fell below a Living Income Standard for one adult raising a child.[10] Survey findings reinforce the concern that counties are not paying election directors enough to meet basic living costs: More than half of NC election directors report that a pay raise would most likely encourage them to stay in their role.[11]

 

Footnotes

[1] Randolph County, North Carolina. “Elections Director Position Description.” April 2012. https://www.randolphcountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/216/Elections-Director-PDF.

[2] Director of Elections to County Board of Elections; Appointment; Compensation; Duties; Dismissal., 163–35 North Carolina General Statutes. Accessed May 3, 2026. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_163/GS_163-35.pdf.

[3] Kara Milonzi. “Determining Local Board of Elections Director’s Salary – Coates’ Canons.” Coates’ Canon North Carolina Local Government Law Blog, March 16, 2015. https://canons.sog.unc.edu/blog/2015/03/16/determining-local-board-of-elections-directors-salary/.

[4] Mehr Sher. “High turnover among NC elections directors linked to 25-year-old ‘vague’ statute.” Carolina Public Press, June 11, 2024. https://carolinapublicpress.org/64221/elections-brain-drain-2-turnover-nc-elections-directors-vague-statute-1999/.

[5] Mehr Sher. “Rapid loss of NC elections directors tied to low pay, CPP investigation finds.” Carolina Public Press, June 10, 2024. https://carolinapublicpress.org/64188/elections-brain-drain-1-data-ties-turnover-county-directors-nc-low-pay/.

[6] Wren Orey, Grace Klinefelter, Joshua Ferrer, and Daniel M Thompson. Election Official Turnover Rates through the 2024 Election. Bipartisan Policy Center, 2026, https://bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/election-official-turnover-rates-through-the-2024-election/.

[7] Joshua Ferrer, Daniel M. Thompson, and Wren Orey. Election Official Turnover Rates from 2000-2024. Bipartisan Policy Center, 2024. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/election-official-turnover-rates-from-2000-2024/.

[8] Martha Kropf and JoEllen Pope. “Election Costs: A Study of North Carolina.” In The Future of Election Administration, edited by Mitchell Brown, Kathleen Hale, and Bridgett A. King. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-14947-5_11.

[9] David Raynor and Kyle Ingram. “How much do NC election directors make? Search our database.” The News & Observer, May 8, 2024. www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article288208810.html.

[10] Logan Rockefeller Harris and Mel Umbarger. 2025 Living Income Standard. https://ncbudget.org/2025-living-income-standard/.

[11] Final Report: Cross Partisan Leaders Finding Common Ground on Fair, Safe, & Secure Elections in North Carolina. Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections, 2025. https://b0cda95e-2b3b-423e-8736-b73e60a707c7.filesusr.com/ugd/8d4620_ffe116c92d224f47aff006b5ff62d59c.pdf.