Exceprts:
It’s well known that elections have consequences. They also have price tags.
With signs pointing to a special election this fall at which voters could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, local officials from across California believe the cost of conducting the election could run as high as $400 million.
The estimate is four to five times higher than rough guesses bandied about in recent months and is equal to a cost of about $18 per registered voter — more than double what local elections officials say was spent on California elections in 2018.
It’s a price they say counties, which are struggling to cover pandemic-related costs for health and human services programs, will need the state to cover.