Manitoba's latest general election cost the province nearly $17 million, an annual report from Elections Manitoba says.

The total operational cost for 2016 election was $13,548,389, the elections organization reports.

The number was driven up by auditor subsidies — $404,883 — and reimbursements to political candidates and parties — $3,031,859 — for a grand total of $16,985,131.

The overall price tag is roughly $2 million higher than the total cost of Manitoba's previous general election in 2011. That election cost a total of $14,957,669, including nearly $11.9 million in operations and just under $2.7 million in reimbursements.

"This annual report gives the public a picture of the preparation required to run a general election," Elections Manitoba CEO Shipra Verma said in a news release on Tuesday.

To run the election, the organization opened 57 offices and 2,700 voting stations across the province, with a team of roughly 10,000 people.

Recommendations to change election laws

The numbers were released on Tuesday in Elections Manitoba's annual report for 2016, which included a handful of recommendations for future elections.

All the recommendations are reflected in proposed amendments to the Elections Act set to be debated in legislature this fall, the report says.

"Two important objectives guided these recommendations: improving the voting experience and achieving administrative efficiencies," Verma said in the release.

The recommendations include establishing a permanent voter register, revising the election calendar to eliminate province-wide enumeration and reduce the timeline and increasing the size of voting areas.

The amendments would also require voters to present proof of identity and their address when they vote or have another resident in the same electoral division vouch for them.