County clerk asks council to restore deputy slot, warns of higher election costs for new pollbook system

Vermillion County Clerk Tammy Lowry asked the council to restore a fourth deputy position to her office during the budget hearings, saying the office handles phone transfers for the whole courthouse and will be short‑staffed during next year’s elections due to an anticipated maternity leave.

Lowry said she contacted neighboring counties for comparisons and that Clark and Fountain counties have four deputies plus voter‑registration staff; she said Vermillion’s caseload exceeds those counties and that her staff “have really been working their [expletive] off to keep up with the new changes in the court.” Lowry added she hired a third deputy recently and the new hire “could not believe the amount of work that our office does.”

On elections technology, Lowry told the council the clerk’s office must replace unsupported electronic pollbooks (last purchased in 2020). She provided two vendor cost estimates: the full replacement of pollbooks at about $26,100 and programming/encoding/training services from MicroVote that she estimated at about $29,000. She said both costs will be billed at the beginning of the year and charged to election supplies.

Staffing and trade‑offs: Lowry said she was willing to eliminate a part‑time position if the permanently funded deputy slot is restored. She also asked for raises for deputies; she said comparable counties pay higher hourly wages for deputy clerks. The clerk and county staff discussed combining voter‑registration postage and election postage lines but did not reach a resolution; staff noted voter registration may have legal reporting mandates that require separate line items.

Nut graf: The clerk’s requests—one permanent deputy position and funding for new electronic pollbooks and vendor services—carry implications for the county budget because revenues are projected to decline overall and the county must prioritize among competing department needs.

Additional details: Lowry said the county mailed out notices to active voters and reduced outbound envelopes from 10,000 to about 6,000 to save postage, and that vote centers next year are expected to have three to five workers each (discussants said seven vote centers with five workers each is likely). The clerk said her office will continue to monitor actual election expenses and revisit the budget after next year’s municipal election.

Ending: The council did not take a final vote on staffing or the election‑technology purchases during the informational hearing; Lowry said she will reassess budget lines after the upcoming election year and may request additional appropriations if needed.