Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.065

115.065. Proportion of cost for two or more political subdivisions or special districts, how computed — exceptions — definitions — election services fund, when used. — 1. Except as provided in sections 115.069 , 115.071 , 115.073 and 115.077 , when any question or candidate is submitted to a vote by two or more political subdivisions or special districts, or by the state and one or more political subdivisions or special districts at the same election, all costs of the election shall be paid proportionally from the general revenues of the state and all political subdivisions and special districts submitting a question or candidate at the election, except that costs of publications of legal notice of elections shall not be paid proportionally. The state and each political subdivision and each special district shall pay for publication of its legal notice of election. At the discretion of the election authority, ballot printing costs, if any, may be paid proportionally or the state and each political subdivision and each special district may pay for such ballot printing costs, if any.

2. Except as provided in sections 115.069 , 115.071 and 115.073 , when any question or candidate is submitted to a vote by two or more political subdivisions or special districts at the same election, all costs of the election shall be paid proportionally from the general revenues of all political subdivisions and special districts submitting a question or candidate at the election.

3. Proportional election costs paid under the provisions of subsection 2 of this section shall be assessed by charging each political subdivision and special district the same percentage of the total cost of the election as the number of registered voters of the political subdivision or special district on the day of the election is to the total number of registered voters on the day of the election, derived by adding together the number of registered voters in each political subdivision and special district submitting a question or candidate at the election.

4. "Proportional costs" and "election costs" , as used in this chapter, are defined as those costs that require additional out-of-pocket expense by the election authority in conducting an election. It may include reimbursement to county general revenue for the salaries of employees of the election authority for the hours worked to conduct an election, the rental of any electronic voting machine or electronic poll book, any indirect expenses identified under an independent cost allocation study and an amount not to exceed five percent of the total cost of election to be credited to the election services fund of the county. The election services fund shall be budgeted and expended at the direction of the election authority and shall not be used to substitute for or subsidize any allocation of general revenue for the operation of the election authority's office without the express consent of the election authority. The election services fund may be audited by the appropriate auditing agency, and any unexpended balance shall be left in the fund to accumulate from year to year with interest. The election services fund shall be used by the election authority for training programs and purchase of additional supplies or equipment to improve the conduct of elections, including anything necessarily pertaining thereto. In addition to these costs, the state shall, subject to appropriation, compensate the election services fund for transactions submitted pursuant to the provisions of section 115.157 .

(L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 2.515 , A.L. 1979 S.B. 275, A.L. 1982 S.B. 526, A.L. 1983 H.B. 713 Revision, S.B. 234, A.L. 1993 S.B. 31, A.L. 1999 H.B. 676, A.L. 2018 S.B. 592) Effective 1-01-19