The cost to reprint ballots for the November election may not have to come out of Buchanan County’s budget.

According to Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner R.T. Turner, the State will be reimbursing the county around $5,000 to cover the cost of reprinting ballots after an appeals court panel ruled last week that ballot wording previously approved by lawmakers for the proposed constitutional amendment was misleading.

Missouri election officials all over the state are scrambling to reprint ballots and reprogram computers after an appeals court ordered a change to an early-voting proposal that will appear on the November ballot.

County clerks said Wednesday that the change could cost about $5,000 for local election jurisdictions and could delay the availability of absentee ballots.

Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey told us Friday that she was one of the first inline to get ballots reprinted and expects to have them by Monday in time for absentee voting Tuesday.