(La Porte County) - An effort to expand early voting in South County was shot down on Friday.
The Election Board fell short of a unanimous vote to establish an early voting site in southern La Porte County.
Proponents say an early voting site would reduce the number of absentee ballots and reduce lines on Election Day. Some rural voters live as far as forty-five minutes away from La Porte or Michigan City. In this year's primary election, zero residents from the towns of Wanatah or LaCrosse participated in early voting.
The South County Community Coalition promoted the idea of putting a voting site in the southern part of La Porte County, backed by 54 elected local officials. According to a statement by the Coalition, Democrat Election Board member Nelson Pichardo and Republican Chuck Watterson voted in favor of the initiative, but County Clerk Kathy Chroback voted in opposition.
