Forsyth County election under budget, high turnout

Forsyth County’s Nov. 8 election came in under budget-with one of the highest turnouts ever

Final figures show the election racked up $173,204 in costs, while having been budgeted for $215,135, said Barbara Luth, supervisor of Elections and Voter Registration. Luth added that while the county incurs some supply costs, the major expense is paying poll workers. That cost stayed under expectations because some workers volunteered and didn’t accept election day pay.

Luth said registered voter turnout fell just short of 83 percent percent-short of the all-time record of roughly 85 percent. She said advance voting accounted for more than 50 percent of that total, keeping election day lines down to 15 to 20 minutes at maximum.