Election reform weighed (12/19/03)

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita met with Jay County clerk Jane Ann Runyon Thursday afternoon to hear her input on the state's plan to overhaul its voting system.

Rokita submitted the Indiana State Election Plan to the Federal Election Assistance Commission in late August. The plan is intended to pave the way for the state to receive up to $57 million in federal funding to replace voting equipment — such as the punch card system used in Jay County — and improve election administration.

He estimated that the state will allocate about 70 percent of what it receives in this federal funding to update election equipment around the state.

The ISEP was drafted by the Vote Indiana Team, which was chaired by Rokita and was comprised of Hoosiers who represent three political parties, the state legislature, minority groups, military voters, people with disabilities, county election and voter registration officials and the media.

Rokita said Thursday he has been touring the state — including a stop in Randolph County on Thursday — to get feedback on the plan from county clerks. “Can we do it better? Change the process? Not change the process?” he said.

“I personally appreciate the fact that you're asking for our input,” Runyon said. But she added she has some qualms about some of the proposals.

“My biggest concern is statewide voter registration,” she said stressing the need for counties to retain some local control in that process.

“I don’t want people in other counties or state election officials to be able to remove names (of Jay County voters from the list) without our knowledge,” she said today. “We need to know that (names are removed) ... and some kind of trail as to why.”

She would prefer that names to be removed be sent to the counties, so that the purging could be done at a local level.

“If we make a mistake, we can fix it here” and be certain that the problem has been resolved, she said.

The plan calls for a statewide voter file to be created by the State Election Division and coordinated by Rokita's office. It would enable the linking of the state's 92 counties. A link also would be available with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which could provide information through the National Voter Registration Act, also known as Motor Voter.

The law requires states to provide uniform registration services through drivers’ license agencies, through public assistance and disability agencies and through mail-in registration.

Links with the Indiana Department of Correction also would assist with the purging of felons from the statewide voter list. Information from the Social Security Administration also could be available so that the names of the deceased could be removed from voter registration files, Rokita said.

Portland attorney John Coldren who stopped by to chat with Rokita and Runyon added that by removing the names of those not eligible to vote would give a more accurate account of a county's voter turnout on election day.

Runyon and Rokita also discussed at length the mandated replacement of the county's current voting system.

Under the federal Help American Vote Act and a state law, punch cards will no longer be used in the U.S. after the fall general election in 2004.

“I don't see the problem with the punch cards. The county has never had a problem with that system,” said Runyon, who has overseen about 17 elections in her terms as county clerk.

She added that the Jay County Commissioners are concerned that some of the new voting machines would not provide a paper trail in the event of a vote recount.

Because of their concerns and her own, Runyon said she has not decided what new machines would be best for the county.

“That's the reason those decisions are left to the local level,” Rokita said.

“I'm going to do that right after the first of the year,” she added.

At present, only the touch screen and optical scan machines have been certified by the state as appropriate replacements, Runyon said.

To start the process, she explained, the county must decide what machines are needed for its 21 precincts and select a vendor. Based on a recommendation from Runyon, the county commissioners will make the final decision and sign the purchase contract with the vendor.

The county will be able to apply for reimbursement from the state to help defray the cost of the new machines. She estimated that about $3,200 per precinct will be available for reimbursement. But she added, “I would say (the machines are) going to be more than $3,200 each.” In addition, the county also will need to budget for ongoing maintenance for the new equipment — an expense, she said, most vendors are reluctant to discuss. “That really scares me,” she said.

Because the voting machine change likely will not come before the fall general election next year, “I didn't even put (an allocation for new machines) into the (2004) budget,” she said. If need be, she added, she can request an additional appropriation be approved by the Jay County Council.

Rokita urged Runyon and the other county officials to continue their election reform efforts and to begin the application process for reimbursement from the state.[[In-content Ad]]