SC, NC face 2012 with shrunken election budgets

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The eyes of the country will be on North and South Carolina in 2012, but the state agencies that make sure elections run smoothly are facing shrunken budgets.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections had to eliminate 14 positions after the General Assembly cut $1 million from its budget this year.

Those positions included technicians responsible for making sure voting machines were in working order.

In South Carolina, the Election Commission has seen its budget go from $1.8 million three years ago to just over $850,000 in the current fiscal year.

Spokesman Chris Whitmire says the agency can draw on other pots of money to make sure it fulfills its duties. But any more cuts would cause serious problems.