Monroe County election board holds public hearing on plan to adopt vote centers

MONROE COUNTY, Ind. — The Monroe County Vote Center Committee recommended converting the county's precinct-based system to vote centers and presented its draft plan at a public hearing April 7 before the Monroe County Election Board.

The committee, chaired by Alana Stonebraker, recommended by a 7–0 vote that the county consolidate existing “super precinct” polling sites into a plan that would operate roughly 20 vote centers countywide and add three short-term early-voting sites 10 days before an election. The election board opened the draft for public comment and scheduled a second hearing and possible vote for May 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Nottie Hill courtroom.

A vote center system allows any registered voter in the county to cast a ballot at any designated voting location on Election Day; ballots are printed on demand using an electronic poll book that is not connected to the internet. Stonebraker said the committee’s 56-page report — posted on the Monroe County Election Board website — includes required compliance checklists, floor plans for the 29 current locations and the committee’s recommendations for locations, staffing and equipment.

‘‘About 65 of the state’s 92 counties have already adopted this,’’ Stonebraker said. She told the…