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Harrison County court adopts resolution supporting countywide polling-place system
Summary
The court voted 5-0 to approve a resolution opposing elimination of countywide polling places and to retain electronic poll books and electronic voting equipment; elections administrator said the resolution would aid the county if the legislature considers changes to polling rules.
Harrison County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Jan. 17 urging state lawmakers to retain the countywide polling-place program and the use of electronic poll books and electronic voting equipment.
Elections administrator Rob Robinette (identified in meeting as the county elections official) told the court that Harrison County has used the countywide polling-place system for several years and that the system reduces provisional ballots and voter frustration by allowing voters to cast ballots anywhere in the county on election day, as well as during early voting.
The resolution argues that Harrison County’s geography, with rural areas and irregular precinct shapes, makes the countywide system a practical approach; it also notes the countywide program’s reliance on electronic poll books to verify check-ins in real time and to post lists of who voted the next day, a statutory requirement mentioned by the elections official.
Robinette said electronic poll books are the only voting-related devices that connect to the internet; voting machines themselves remain offline, he said, and the county trains poll workers on accessibility features of electronic voting equipment.
The court approved the resolution 5-0; Robinette said the vote would give the county leverage should commissioners need to communicate with state legislators about proposed election-law changes.
