Marshall County Clerk, Deb VanDeMark told the County Commissioners Monday that the Election Board is re-visiting the possibility of Vote Centers.
VanDeMark said about one-third of the counties in the state are now using vote centers. This initial issue was the need for poll pads which Marshall County now has in place.
The Clerk read the definition of a vote center which simply put is a polling place where any eligible voter in the county may go to vote. The vote centers give voters more flexibility on Election Day because they are not constrained to a specific polling location. Vote centers are connected through secure internet connections, and as ballots are cast, an electronic poll book is instantaneously updated.
Currently there are 29 precincts in Marshall County and currently the county uses 14 polling sites.
There are several steps to implementing vote centers in Marshall County including unanimous approval from the Election Board and a majority vote of support of both the commissioners and county council to proceed.
A committee will be created draft a local plan which will then be presented in a public hearing. The plan will also be submitted to the Indiana Election Division for approval.
Marshall County, like many other counties has trouble finding citizens willing to work the polls on Election Day and VanDeMark said the goal would be to reduce the number of polling sites. She also noted that creating the vote centers wouldn’t cost any additional funds.
The Marshall County commissioners voiced their support for re-visiting the vote center issue but didn’t take official action. It’s anticipated they will vote on the idea at their January 22nd meeting.
**On a side note, the Marshall County Election Board will meet on Tuesday, January 5th at 8 a.m. in the Clerk’s Office and this is one of their agenda items.
