Division of the Budget
Landon State Office Building Phone: (785) 296-2436
900 SW Jackson Street, Room 504 adam.c.proffitt@ks.gov
Topeka, KS 66612 Division of the Budget http://budget.kansas.gov
Adam C. Proffitt, Director Laura Kelly, Governor


February 5, 2024


The Honorable Pat Proctor, Chairperson
House Committee on Elections
300 SW 10th Avenue, Room 218-N
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Dear Representative Proctor:
SUBJECT: Fiscal Note for HB 2571 by House Committee on Elections
In accordance with KSA 75-3715a, the following fiscal note concerning HB 2571 is
respectfully submitted to your committee.
HB 2571 would require all advance voting ballots deposited in a remote ballot box to be
considered provisional ballots until verified by the county election office. The ballot would not
be counted unless the county election officer verifies that the voter whose name appears on the
envelop has deposited such ballot or that the ballot was deposited by the voter’s designee. The bill
would also define “remote ballot boxes” as any form of locked ballot boxes available for the use
of depositing advance voting ballots that are not located in a county election office or satellite
advance voting site. If the vote of an advance voting voter is challenged and a judge of the special
election board determines the ballot was deposited in a remote ballot box, the ballot envelope
would not be opened.
The Secretary of State would use existing resources to provide training and update manuals
for county election officials; update the agency’s website; update public documents and
information, and work with media, political parties, candidates, and the public to ensure knowledge
of the new changes for designation of advance voting ballots deposited in a remote ballot box
under provisions of HB 2571. In addition, the agency provides that enactment of HB 2571 would
either force counties to discontinue the use of remote ballot drop boxes that are currently used or
continue the use of remote ballot drop boxes and hire additional staff to make an additional review
to process ballots that are marked provisional that are received from remote ballot drop box. The
agency does not have information on which choice each county would choose nor is the agency
able to calculate the fiscal effect on the counties. Any fiscal effect associated with HB 2571 is not
reflected in The FY 2025 Governor’s Budget Report.
The Honorable Pat Proctor, Chairperson
Page 2—HB 2571

The Kansas Association of Counties states that under HB 2571, there could be increased
costs to the counties associated with contacting all voters using remote ballot boxes to verify that
the voter or the voter’s designee deposited the ballot in the ballot box. The cost would vary by
county and therefore a precise fiscal effect cannot be estimated.

Sincerely,

Adam C. Proffitt
Director of the Budget


cc: Jay Hall, Kansas Association of Counties
Sandy Tompkins, Office of the Secretary of State


Statutes affected:
As introduced: 25-1124, 25-1136