2 Indiana counties to try out voting centers this May

RICHMOND, Ind. – Wayne County officials have identified four sites from which voters in the May municipal primary may choose to cast ballots.\nWayne will be the only county operating the voting center system this spring in an actual election after Tippecanoe County canceled its primary as no contested races emerged for party nominations.\nStarting with the May 8 primary, Richmond voters no longer will go to one of the city’s 31 traditional polling places. Instead, voters will visit one of four voting centers, two of which will be open for voting a week in advance.\nWayne County Clerk Sue Ann Lower said she believed the new system would encourage voter turnout by having a longer voting period. Also, it should save on the cost of finding and paying poll workers.\nA mock voter center was set up Thursday in Richmond, Ind., to coincide with Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s visit to discuss the changes, under which voters will be checked in electronically on computers then receive the appropriate ballot for where they live. About a dozen volunteers were invited to test the equipment either as a voter or as a poll worker.\n“I think it’s a great idea,” said Darlene Moegerle, a resident of Richmond. “I think the fact they’re having it over several days will make it more convenient for a lot of people.”\nRokita said state election officials would closely watch Wayne County’s voting centers during the May primary, with the idea of expanding the concept across the state.\n“We hope to go to the Legislature and broaden the law,” he said.\nIn Tippecanoe County, Clerk Linda Phillips said a committee had tentatively selected 22 sites that would make good voting centers for November’s city and town elections.\nPhillips said she planned to have one site in Lafayette and another in West Lafayette open on primary day as a test of the new voting system.\n“We need to learn how long it takes to vote using this process,” she said. “And we hope someone will be sneaky and try to vote twice.”