The Starke County Election Board continues to see support for a proposed switch to vote centers. Last week, board members reviewed the results of a survey taken during this month’s town hall meetings in Knox and North Judson. Of the 27 surveys completed, only two respondents felt the change would not be a positive move for Starke County to pursue. Multiple residents specifically liked the convenience that vote centers could provide.
Clerk Bernadette Welter-Manuel thought the town hall meetings went fairly well. “I’m just glad we had them,” she said. “That way, we got public input.”
But Board Member Harrison Fields had some concerns. He complained that Welter-Manuel didn’t tell him ahead of time that Elkhart County Clerk Christopher Anderson was coming to the Knox town hall. “Is it fair to compare Elkhart County?” Fields asked. “I mean, he gave a terrific sales pitch, but can we really compare geographically, the size of Elkhart County?”
Board President Marcia Bedrock pointed out that Marshall and Pulaski counties have also been using vote centers with apparent success, and a report on the state’s first four vote center counties included two rural ones. “Of course, when you read a report on something, they’re going to state the positives,” Bedrock said. “Were there some problems that maybe they ran into? Sure. But what you do as a board, you work to fix those problems, not just discount something because, ‘Well, we can’t relate to that.’ Sure we can.”
If the vote center proposal is approved, Starke County voters would have the option of casting their ballot at any one of seven locations, starting with the May 2020 primary.
