[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6252488,"mediaKeyId","3188176-90ef3d9bda0b4e7fad3062a46385b606","parentId",3188176,"title","Clerk briefed board on state election bills, federal orders and equipment rules","audioSeconds",442,"startMs",137000,"endMs",579000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3188176-90ef3d9bda0b4e7fad3062a46385b606&start=137&end=579","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3188176-90ef3d9bda0b4e7fad3062a46385b606/thumbnail_137000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6252488/Monroe-County/Indiana/Clerk-briefed-board-on-state-election-bills-federal-orders-and-equipment-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252488-e23097288780d4b55dc508ddb48a4029/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153318&Signature=j6j7KFXD~6ElNxEAR2To3r-B~rHQRFflgoLPhux1bY9abNpxCRGrAs6LGKRXzCYe1deTnGIvB0stgKRV1mK-KIdcR-D3eXJI~dLK8-dIWw10pIzj9Qn2tsWhtrUvctxhlMQ-4Y~wNMbfB7-yR6G4~7wr2Yn8YBK46QEfFxyc9gqmjzWA5lc9gFsPfxE9-L~3EoGzqBS-LwoDfmkDDkxD-ygyqSPHfBUElXgEND983sTnZYSBh7C2o0S739n2PlbMD~rCO6xyQvIkXQhPnv-CzQJ85dOlA~~ty~vNI0R5mZ~x9W9kuyTQZ9XvUeENW0Q4S9vZgN-q7M219ayLNGqmUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Monroe County IN","date","2025-05-04T08:44:36.343Z","article","At its May meeting, the Monroe County Clerk provided a legislative update on state and federal actions that could affect local election administration, including changes to certification dates, identification rules, equipment requirements and federal litigation over a presidential executive order.

“We are incredibly grateful to the secretary for including our ask in that bill,” Bert Brown, Monroe County Clerk, said of House Bill 1679, which the clerk said moves the date for presidential certification to Sept. 1 from Sept. 20 and shortens the window for preparing ballots for absentee, overseas and military voters. The clerk described that change as creating “a very, very narrow window” to get ballots ready.

Why it matters: the bills the clerk summarized would affect the county’s timeline for ballot preparation, the pool of acceptable voter identification, staff responsibilities on election day and equipment capabilities for removing ballots from counts in limited circumstances. The clerk also noted uncertainty at the federal level: the Save Act is pending in the U.S. Senate after passing the House, and the president’s executive order is under injunction while litigation proceeds.

Details from the update: the clerk said House Bill 1680 (an Indiana Election Division bill) and a Senate bill carried by Rep. Tim Wesco have passed the state senate leadership and are on their way to the governor. Senate Bill 10, the clerk said, removes student IDs as an acceptable student voter identification at university polling places and has been signed by the governor. Senate Bill 137 requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to notify the election division if a voter-registration form was transmitted for an applicant issued a temporary credential; the clerk said that measure aims to reduce noncitizen registrations. The clerk reported that Senate Bill 287 (a school-board bill) was awaiting the governor’s signature and that it allows — but does not require — candidates to disclose political affiliation on school-board filings. The clerk also described Senate Bill 526 as legislation examining equipment capabilities to retract ballots from counts, for example when a voter dies before election day.

On ballot handling, the clerk explained the county’s current process: absentee ballots returned in sealed envelopes are stored under double lock and key and organized alphabetically so the county can remove a ballot if it becomes necessary; staff said they do not view the contents when removing ballots.

The clerk also relayed legal uncertainty about federal action. “The Save Act is still currently pending in the senate for consideration, but it has already passed the house. And then the president's executive order is under injunction due to ongoing litigation, which means it is not effective or enforceable until the courts make a final decision,” the clerk said.

Ending: board members asked no follow-up questions on the legislative update at the meeting. County election staff said they will monitor bills for governor action and follow any court decisions on federal litigation and report back to the board as required.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Monroe County Election Board, May 1, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Monroe County election officials summarized several recently passed or pending state bills affecting election timing, voter ID and equipment requirements, and noted a federal executive order is under litigation.","taxTitle","Monroe County, Indiana","taxId",3534,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6252492,"Election board approves informational postcard, reviews 29/22/20 vote-center cost options",1162,552000,1714000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3188176-90ef3d9bda0b4e7fad3062a46385b606&start=552&end=1714","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3188176-90ef3d9bda0b4e7fad3062a46385b606/thumbnail_552000.jpg","/articles/6252492/Monroe-County/Indiana/Election-board-approves-informational-postcard-reviews-292220-vote-center-cost-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252492-ab467838c755905b24d249c251fc5c72/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153318&Signature=RiL7xr063jDcV9BvJS~iC33sbgIay6h-WFETgmwNOhJi~UUAoMwehHeZ1VuRyAh92s7wq5HT1vxnclUAJidHJkPSxBA2zDGr8UBMQiEkh6IcZgh-v1glJxjro4E0hVADlglYBF-1KTm2lZwJPdx0BxTumzDZ7RudRY9-quMhPGfJsY65X0hwZAu2GwHa8A3atCDT04RpcaNku-BHeVw97hqAlFN9PTVzk5e6~q7F-V4K8YY45o9polU5g0yzHb~CuFQNNXCcgvajjxlTZaKF5xuMUrhD~Fs6il-yvH~GyWpvZXfuczvBTko0S7K7sS3Juma49ojHVy3aqQhKssIxAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its May meeting, the Monroe County Election Board voted to mail an informational postcard to every household in Monroe County to publicize the proposed vote-center plan, a second public hearing and the public-comment process.

The vote follows a presentation from county election staff that summarized public engagement and three cost models for operating vote centers on election day. “We had the public hearing on April 7. We had 50 community members who showed up in person with an additional 30 plus online. 22 individuals gave a public comment at the hearing and most in support of vote centers,” Kylie, election staff, told the board. The board approved the mailing on a roll-call vote with all members voting yes.

The postcard will go to residential addresses rather than every registered voter to reduce cost; election staff told the board there are about 88,000 registered voters and about 65,000 residential addresses, and the vendor quoted a per-household rate of 36¢. Bert Brown, Monroe County Clerk, said the vendor provided a discount that reduced the price by about $3,300 and that the postcard will include QR codes linking to the vote-center plan and to the public-comment form.

Why it matters: shifting from precinct-based polling places to a smaller set of vote centers changes equipment, staffing and printing needs and requires county council review because of the fiscal impact. Election staff presented three equipment-and-staffing models for 29, 22 and 20 vote centers and an estimate of a roughly 5% total cost increase over the referenced election cycle if certain changes are adopted. The board packet also included a separate staffing-and-cost breakdown for adding up to three additional early-voting locations for the final 10 days before the election.

Supporting details: staff distributed slides used at a recent county-council briefing showing the projected “quadriennium” fiscal impact. In the packet, election staff noted an estimated 5% increase in total election costs under the vote-center options and said a 22-location plan would produce a per-period cost increase of about 1.3% (presentation language). Staff cautioned these figures were estimates and identified existing budget balances, a HAVA grant and roughly $25,000 previously set aside to repair existing equipment as possible offsets. Several county-council members asked staff about preserving budget cushions because election-cycle costs can fluctuate.

Public input and next steps: public comment on the vote-center proposal is being accepted through 11:59 p.m. on May 18; the second public hearing is scheduled for May 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Nat U Hill Room. The board also announced a related vote-center meeting on Wednesday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m. in the Showers Building and the next full election-board meeting on June 5 at 1:30 p.m. The postcard will include dates, QR codes to the plan and instructions for submitting written comments.

Discussion versus action: the board discussed the vote-center cost models and early-voting permutations (discussion). The board then took formal action to approve sending the informational postcard to households (formal action). The board did not adopt a final vote-center location count; staff said the board can approve vote-center plans with revisions and that county-council approval is required for fiscal changes.

A note on outreach and vendor: staff recommended sending one card per residential address rather than one per voter to contain cost. The county’s vendor for mailings is Midwest Presort; Clerk Brown said the vendor’s discounted per-household price was 36¢ after a negotiated discount.

Ending: the board’s approval authorizes the mailing and keeps the vote-center study moving forward; the county council will review the fiscal implications before any operational change is implemented. Public comment remains open through May 18, and the second hearing is May 19.","The Monroe County Election Board voted to mail informational postcards about a proposed move to vote centers and reviewed cost, staffing and early-voting options for 29-, 22- and 20-location plans; the county council must still approve any fiscal changes.","actionData","errors"]

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Clerk briefed board on state election bills, federal orders and equipment rules

Election board approves informational postcard, reviews 29/22/20 vote-center cost options