Election Day may not be until November, but the Starke County Clerk’s office is busy preparing for ballots to be cast.
Clerk Vicki Cooley says there’s a misconception that all of the work happens in the weeks leading up to Election Day, but she says their offices are working year-round to complete an array of tasks.
“We have new mapping from the state and using these maps and our addressing system, we find that we do have a few people in the wrong precinct, and even in the wrong county,” says Cooley.
It has taken the clerk’s office some time to correct and properly organize the maps for walking lists – which are used by candidates and their staffs to identify registered voters in local communities.
The deadline to register to vote in Starke County and around the state is October 11th. Registering after the deadline will enable a resident to cast a ballot in future elections, but not in November 2016.
Cooley says right now, the challenge is updating their registration list.
“They come in from different sources,” says Cooley. “The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, they walk-in, they bring registrations, other offices, directly from the state. All of these have to be processed.”
The clerk’s office can help voters locate the proper precinct location and assure already registered voters of their status prior to Election Day.
Cooley says she is anticipating a relatively high voter turnout in November.
