Vote‑center plan urged to county council as public comment period continues

At the start of the April 8 meeting, Monroe County resident Alana Stonebraker, chair of the Monroe County Vote Center Committee, asked the County Council to take up the committee’s draft plan for countywide vote centers before the public comment period ends May 19.

Stonebraker said the committee’s draft plan is posted on the County Election Board website and described the vote‑center model, which allows registered voters to cast ballots at any county‑designated location similar to existing early voting. She said 65 of Indiana’s 92 counties have adopted vote centers and that the committee’s first public hearing drew about 80 attendees (50 in‑person and 30 online) and more than 30 public speakers including poll workers, rural voters and student voters who voiced support.

Stonebraker urged the council to nominate a council representative to the committee and to engage earlier in financial review — noting other Indiana counties’ fiscal bodies worked directly with election boards on cost assessment. She specifically asked the council not to delay discussion until after the public comment period ends and said Election Supervisor Kylie Moreland is available to present the plan and its fiscal implications to the council or the committee.

Council members acknowledged receipt of the request and one councilor (Iverson) encouraged a formal presentation; several council members attended the committee’s public hearing, Stonebraker said. No formal council action on a vote‑center resolution was taken at the April 8 meeting.