(La Porte, IN) - Early voting sites are being added in LaPorte County after the proposal was recently defeated.  The added sites are at Wanatah Town Hall, at 104 N. Main St. and the previous La Porte County Public Library building, in Coolspring Township at Johnson Road and 400 North.

 

Members of the South County Community Coalition pushed for the early voting site in Wanatah so residents south of Westville no longer have to drive 20 miles or more to current early voting sites in LaPorte and Michigan City.  The request was denied September 11, despite a 2 to 1 vote in favor of the request by the La Porte County Election Board.

 

The required unanimous vote came Tuesday when election board member Kathy Chroback, who’s also the La Porte County Clerk, reversed her decision.  She went along with the request as long as technical support is added to resolve any issues that might occur at the two new sites and the other two early voting locations already in place in Michigan City and La Porte.

 

Chroback said more help, in what’s already a monument task, is needed from adding locations so close to the November 3 election.  “Manning four early voting locations is impossible for one person to handle,” Chroback said.  Her other conditions included having keys to early voting locations for access before and after hours along with facilities equipped with computers, printers, copiers, scales and secure internet access.  She also asked the early voting sites have restrooms and a kitchen for use by poll workers.

 

“We have people that work in these facilities for four weeks and they cannot leave and they need the amenities so they can stay there throughout the day,” Chroback said.

 

Her final stipulation was for the LaPorte County Commissioners and the La Porte County Council to support establishing voting centers with electronic poll books for the next election in 2022.

 

Over 30 Indiana counties use voting centers believed to save money and reduce the workload by eliminating poll workers and voting in some precincts.  The election board voted to examine the feasibility of voting centers.

 

La Porte County Commission president Sheila Matias and La Porte County Council president Randy Novak expressed commitment to meet Chroback’s demands at the new early voting sites and support for looking at voting centers.  “We do need to get with the times.  A study won’t hurt anything,” said election board member Chuck Watterson.