Proposed plan would overhaul voting process in Hamilton County

A new plan could change how votes are cast in Hamilton County.

In its current precinct-based arrangement, Hamilton County voters must vote at their assigned polling place. The new plan would allow voters to place their ballots at any voting center in the county.

The change would bring Hamilton County in line with 67 of Indiana’s 97 counties that already use voting centers. The switch to voting centers in Indiana started with Wayne and Tippecanoe counties in 2006.

Some have voiced concern about one part of the plan that would reduce the number of polling places from 111 to 52 locations. Hamilton County Election Administrator Beth Sheller says the county’s ability to process votes won’t be hurt by the change.

“It’ll be the same number of machines,” Sheller said. “It'll be the same number of poll pads. You're going to be checked in just as quickly as you would if we had 111 locations."

Sheller said she's heard concerns about people voting at one location, then casting a second vote in a different polling place. She said all voting machines and polling pads are connected to the internet and have safeguards against people trying to vote twice.

Despite requiring some voters to travel farther to reach a polling place, Sheller said the change would be a net benefit for citizens and election officials.

Voters would be free to vote near workplaces and along commuting routes. With voting centers, a voter could skip a line at one polling place by simply driving to a nearby location.

For those overseeing elections, Sheller said fewer locations means staff could put all their focus into those remaining locations. Fewer locations also means fewer staff members and less money to cover renting locations and setup.

The law says the county is only required to have one voting center per 10,000 voters. If Hamilton County attempted to run elections with the minimum number of voting centers, there would be 28 places for people to cast their ballots. So 52 proposed locations is nearly double what is required.

County citizens have 30 days to submit written statements about the plan by sending emails to the Hamilton County Election Board. After those 30 days, the election board will convene to vote on the plan.

Contact WFYI Digital Producer and Reporter Jeremy Reuben at jreuben@wfyi.org.