Underage voters registered

TERRE HAUTE -- Five people under the age of 18 successfully registered to vote in Vigo County.\nThey did not show up to cast ballots on election day, which was a relief to election workers who did not catch the mistakes until after Tuesday.\nSeveral times each year, the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles inadvertently allows teenagers younger than 18 to register to vote even though they are ineligible, said Debbie Kirk, director of the Vigo County Voter Registration Office.\nAfter an inquiry from the Tribune-Star Thursday, county election officials conducted a computer scan based on dates of birth, and found five individuals registered to vote who were underage, Kirk said.\nJust before the election, the county found two other cases of underage teens who were registered, Kirk said.\nVigo County has about 73,000 registered voters.\nThe federal motor-voter law requires states to allow voter registration at license branches and other state service agencies in addition to clerk's or voter registration offices. The law is intended to make the registration process more convenient, and to reach potential voters who failed to register.\nTeenagers are not required to be 18 when they register to vote, but they must turn 18 by the next general election.\nMedia Trent, spokeswoman with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Indianapolis, said staff members should check birth dates to make sure teenagers are the appropriate age.\n"If it slips by us, we hope voter registration will catch it, but ultimately it is our responsibility," Trent said.\nWhen there are problems, the bureau hears about it, Trent said.\n"After each election, we remind our employees and let them know how we did," Trent said. "It's a working relationship between the clerk's office, voter registration and Bureau of Motor Vehicles"