Local News

Mobile Voting Unit to be Deployed

(La Porte County, IN) - A mobile voting unit will be used to allow more LaPorte County residents to cast a ballot in the November 8 election.

 

The LaPorte County Commissioners on Wednesday approved the procedures for using the van acquired with a grant last year for $67,000. The van will be used to register people to vote, fill out absentee voter applications, and early voting.

 

The commissioners also decided to be in charge of determining when and where to send the mobile voting unit to be staffed by members from the Democratic and Republican parties.

 

Commission President Sheila Matias said a schedule for the use of the van would be developed and posted on the county government website. She said the primary idea is to make voting possible for people unable to cast a ballot due to physical, transportation, and other challenges.

 

Matias said the van should also be used to reach people without time to register to vote or get to the polls.

 

“If you want to vote, you should be able to vote,” Matias said.

Commissioner Joe Haney argued the van should remain under the control of the LaPorte County Voter Registration Office to avoid impropriety.

 

Haney, a Republican, said the commissioners are elected while voter registration office workers are not. He didn't see a problem if the commissioners suggested times and locations for using the van but felt deciding the schedule would cast doubt on whether the van is used for things like ballot harvesting to give candidates from one party an advantage.

 

“I don’t think we want to muddy those waters,” Haney said.

Matias, a Democrat, said the voter registration office was in control of the van but hasn't used it or developed a procedure for using it since the mobile unit was purchased last fall.

 

Commissioner Rich Mrozinski, a Republican, said the van was parked at the La Porte County Highway Department without the engine running for so long that the battery went dead and had to be replaced.

 

LaPorte County Election Board Vice-Chairman Nelson Pichardo supported transferring control of the van to the commissioners.

 

“I know that all laws are going to be followed. If there are any questions, the election board, the clerk’s office, we’re all here to help and to make sure that everything is done appropriately. Ultimately, we want to see the van be used,” Pichardo said.

 

*Picture was taken from Facebook.

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