Volunteers Trim Election Cost $18,000

The name of the program is “Count Me In.”

And since its inception in 1993, the Ventura County project has solicited more than 500 volunteers and dozens of community groups and business sponsors who have helped with election activities, saving the county more than $50,000.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors honored several volunteers and organizations with plaques and certificates of appreciation for saving $18,000 in the November election.

A total of 115 election volunteers gave their time to staff polling stations, 11 business sponsors gave $250 each to cover election expenses and two newspapers, including The Times, donated advertising space. Dozens of community groups also contributed time or polling sites.

“This is a tremendous statement about the community and about the resourcefulness of our managers,” Supervisor Susan Lacey said.

Lacey also noted how 25 county library employees worked for the elections office in their spare time and donated $1,400 to the financially troubled county library system.

Ventura County Clerk Richard Dean credited Bruce Bradley, assistant registrar of voters, with starting the “Count Me In” program.

Although the November election cost about $800,000, Bradley said he was pleased with the show of support from the community.

“It’s a start,” he said. “We’ll keep at it, so hopefully we can make it better.”