Community members had a chance to weigh in about a possible transition to vote centers Wednesday night.
When the Starke County Election Board met at the Washington Township Community Building member Marcia Bedrock provided some preliminary information about vote centers and the existing polling place system.
She explained that there are about 38 counties across Indiana that utilize vote centers, including the neighboring counties of Pulaski and Marshall. In Starke County, there are 21 polling places and the idea that’s being proposed is to shift to 7 vote centers.
Currently, 146 poll workers are needed to work Elections at the various polling places. A switch to vote centers would cut that down to about 56 workers, give or take.
The goal is to get the vote centers established in time for the 2020 election. It was noted that the voting process will essentially stay the same and the same number of voting machines would still be available, they would just be combined at a particular location rather than divided up amongst the precincts.
The only major difference would be the check-in process which would be done on e-polling books.
Clerk Bernadette Welter-Manuel stated that the Secretary of State has reported that this method of check-in is significantly less time-consuming. It only takes about 30-45 seconds on average compared to the paper poll book process which takes anywhere from a minute and a half to two minutes.
With this process, people simply scan their license or ID card to check-in. Once the person has been checked in, they cannot cast a vote at another center. Military IDs can also be used, however, the information would be entered in manually.
Welter-Manuel noted that the anticipated cost savings would be approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per election cycle which is a total of about $60,000 a year.
However, since the e-polling books would initially have to be purchased, the County wouldn’t see that immediately. To purchase the 14 e-books that would be necessary, it would cost around $41,000 but officials would be able to split that payment up over two years.
The major pro of moving to vote centers that was emphasized was convenience since it will allow residents to cast their vote anywhere in the county, rather than being limited to their precinct. On a related note, statistics show that counties that have transitioned to vote centers have a higher voter turnout.
One con that was mentioned was that there is a chance some individuals may have to drive a little further to get to the vote center once the polling places are consolidated. However, it was noted that it wouldn’t be much further, only about 5 miles max.
One citizen asked how that would impact the elderly population and those with mobility issues. Bedrock highlighted the fact that individuals will still have the ability to vote by mail or travel board.
She also discussed the fact that moving to vote centers would increase access to early voting locations with the addition of extra satellite sites in various parts of the county. The county would be required to have two satellites in place on the two Saturdays prior to Election Day, in addition to the site that already exists at the Clerk’s office the 28 days prior to an election.
County Councilman Brad Hazelton elaborated on that topic, noting that if individuals did have the desire to vote on Election Day, a vote center will still be available nearby. He explained that in Koontz Lake there are some polling locations that are within a mile of each other that would just be combined and moved to a more centralized location.
He added that as it stands residents from four different precincts vote at the Knox Community Center and that’s counted as four separate polling places, with the switch to vote centers it would just be classified as one.
He added that the money that the state provides to communities keeps reducing so places have to get creative when it comes to saving money. Hazelton indicated that this plan would be a good way to do that while also providing a more convenient option to voters
Another individual in the audience asked if the decision to make the change has basically already been made.
Commissioner Kathy Norem responded to that question, stating that nothing has been finalized and noted that the ultimate goal of county officials is to reflect the desires of the public.
However, she did mention that she also sees the benefits of making the switch and hasn’t heard much negative feedback about the proposal.
Before anything can be submitted to the State Election Division, the vote center plan would first need to receive unanimous approval from the Starke County Election Board and then it would need to go before the County Council and Commissioners for consideration.
Community members will have more chances to learn about vote centers and ask questions during the month of October.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 9th at the Knox Community Center and another one will be held at the North Judson-Wayne Township Public Library the following day on Thursday, October 10th. They will both start at 6:30 p.m.
