The Herald-Times
Two years ago this week, we urged the Indiana General Assembly to adopt legislation sponsored by Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, that would have established voting centers and expanded eligibility for absentee voting. The bill did not pass, although Monroe County did have three highly successful experimental satellite voting sites in the 2008 election.
Now, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita is advocating voting centers as a means of saving money for the state’s taxpayers. Three counties — Tippecanoe, Cass and Wayne — have had pilot voting centers for the past two election cycles. If a proposed Senate amendment survives, House Bill 1030 would allow the use of voting centers in all counties. Again, we support such legislation.
Cost savings is certainly a valid reason to consider voting centers. Data from a study by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute estimates that Monroe County could save about $74,000 per election by using voting centers.