- call to order the special meeting of October 23rd, 2025 the election board. I'm not sure how we adopt
- the agenda. It looks like it's there and it looks like it's OK to me. I will make a motion to adopt
- the agenda as described. Second. Those of in favor I I oppose no. OK, approval of the minutes from October 2nd.
- I have reviewed the minutes. I will make a motion to approve the minutes. I'll second that. In favor,
- aye. Aye. I have some discussion first, please. Okay, discussion, go ahead. First of all, I did not
- speak about my concerns about the 2024 provisional hearing whatsoever. I was concerned about the number
- of the provisional ballots from the twenty twenty four and what caused them so I feel that that's incorrect
- and I also requested that we test more than a minimum number of machines in twenty twenty six to avoid
- the problems that we're seeing at one of the voting centers- polling places rather in twenty twenty
- four I sent this. Out to you this morning after I found out
- The minutes, that was not on the website. The agenda was not on the website. I checked just a short
- time ago. The agenda is on the website. It was posted yesterday morning at 10 AM. I'll have you show
- me later if that's OK. Yep. But I cannot in good conscience have minutes that do not reflect what was
- actually said. So I would move to amend the minutes.
- to indicate that I spoke about my concerns about the provisional ballots and that I requested more than
- a minimum number of machines to be tested. Do the minutes come directly from, I'm going to just use
- in quotes, the tape? Yes, they do. They come from the recording from the CATS
- We directly, the individual who does the minutes, directly watches those, goes back, and then we also
- follow through with the transcript that is created from each of those recordings as well. And how much
- judgment is used on how to, and I hate to use the word summarize. I don't like that word, but it may
- be appropriate here. How much judgment is used in what we put in the minutes?
- When she does the minutes, she does them, she sends them to me and then they're also sent to Nicole.
- We review them and then once they're reviewed by us, then they get passed on to the election board for
- another set of review. Nicole, if you want to speak on that a little bit. So, I mean, I can't, I echo
- what you said. We take the minutes directly from watching the meeting
- It is not a word for word. That's not the purpose of minutes. The very definition of minutes is it is
- a snapshot of what occurred. And then we provide the link to the meeting so that if you want the word
- by word, blow by blow, play by play, so to speak, then you can watch for edification and clarification.
- And then also for the record, the transcripts are with the recording as well. VIN from TSD works to
- make sure that those transcripts are there for anybody that would like them. So what you're telling
- us, just to make sure we've got this clear and on the record, your office listens to the transcript,
- watches the video, whatever.
- And then summarizes the high points. That's what we look at. However, it is. Easy to get to an exact
- word by word. Yes, if they want to do that correct. OK, I haven't been involved with a whole bunch of
- organizations that do minutes OK. Has that is that what you're telling me? Is that long standing?
- Yeah, the way that the minutes are being transcribed now have been the same for years. Nicole would
- know more in extent. I've been here since late 2023, and it's been the same since I arrived. I'm not
- objecting to the fact that it's not a word for word.
- because certainly I talked about the types of ballots that were rejected, the numbers. I'm not raising
- any of that as an objection. I'm objecting to the fact that it says that I had concerns about the provisional
- hearing, which I did not, and that I also did raise this other issue about the machine testing. And
- so if you're not satisfied that I have this corrected,
- I'm representing this correctly. I suggest that we table the approval of the minutes until the next
- meeting. And I will happily go back through the recording and let you know exactly where those statements
- occurred. Do you have printed copies? I looked at it this morning of what you sent to us. I did not
- print that off. I didn't see that till I was somewhere where I could not get here. Yes, I do.
- in there too but no actually it's fine I get typos happen yeah that's all I'm asking for is those changes
- I'm not asking for a word-for-word transcript so is your motion that to amend to include what we have
- under new business in red toward the bottom yes
- Does that, and I'm gonna use the fun word, does that mess up what you've done if we add that to it?
- No, it would just be taking the revised copy and then if there was a typo, just having that amended
- before the minutes are brought back next election board meeting to be re-approved. Actually, I didn't
- see a typo, sorry. I'd mine.
- Is adding this totally away from what customarily you put in minutes and you've done for quite some
- time? Nicole, I'll refer to you. I'm sorry. Please. Is adding this totally out of the norm for what
- we've done or what you've done for minutes in the past? This is one of a very few times that
- the summary has actually been questioned. So it would be out of the norm in that it just doesn't happen
- very often. But if you want to second the motion to me. I don't have a huge issue with adding this,
- but I think we need to we need to be clear from here that the minutes are a summary. The actual wording
- is available.
- I don't particularly want to read every word that was said again before we can approve minutes, but
- I don't have any problem with it. So you've seconded the motion. But if you would, she's got she's got
- a motion to amend on the floor. It has not received a second. I'll give it a second. OK, OK.
- Those in favor. I. Those opposed. Motion carries.
- So now we go back. Now, are the minutes now considered to be approved? No. No. So I will entertain a
- motion to approve the minutes as amended. We can approve the minute. Oh, sorry. I think the amendment
- already took care of that. Well, that's what I just asked them to make sure. Molly, I'm going to make
- sure. OK. All right. So then we need the minute.
- just so everybody's clear. Yay on approval of the minutes. Minutes are approved as amended. Okay.
- All right. And that's passed now. Okay. Are there public comments on things that are not listed on the
- agenda? There are none. We'll move on. The
- update on the showers project. Mr. Kreider. Good afternoon board members, Richard Kreider, Monroe County
- building and fleet manager. I'm here today to give you an update on the early voting renovation at the
- showers building. We're approaching the 11th month on this project. I'll give you a little history of it.
- In January and February, I began meeting with the clerk, clerk's deputy and voting supervisor to discuss
- voting operations, space needs, concerns and project goals. In March, the commissioners approved
- a professional services contract with Spring Point Architects. April began the design and development
- phase, which ran through the end of March. To me, this was the funnest part so far because we took all
- of the information that we had gathered over the previous months.
- gave that to the architect. We started with an empty footprint and came to the final design. And I want
- to give some props to Ms. Ferris and Mr. White for the information that they provided. It was extremely
- helpful. Another notable event in March was that we emptied the storage unit in Eltsville and relocated
- those items to the showers building in suite 202.
- As part of this renovation project, those items will be relocated to the first floor in the new storage
- slash equipment maintenance room, easily accessible from the east entrance of the building. We recently
- completed the bidding phase. The plan is to have the contract executed at the next commissioner's meeting
- on the 30th of this month with construction beginning in November and running through January. Now,
- That's when this project is complete, the voters registration folks at Johnson will have already been
- busy doing important work for the upcoming primary. So my thought on this is that even though the suite
- would be complete in January, that we not move the voters registration office over until after the primary.
- Now I know
- A few people have asked about that and maybe think it's not a great idea. I've been asked at a council
- meeting and had the press reach out and ask about it. So if you guys have any questions or comments,
- I'll answer what I can and get back with you later on what I can. I had to be in Indianapolis on Monday.
- Could you clarify?
- My understanding is that there is a tenant expected to move into what is now election central. And so
- I've never, I personally have never seen a construction and design project actually on time, unless
- there was a monetary incentive. Like if you get this done by the deadline, we'll pay you, we'll give
- you some bonus money.
- you know, deadlines come and go. And the concern for me, obviously, is being in two different places,
- because we don't have a home. We can't go to the new place, but we can't stay in the old place. So if
- you'll clarify for me, as far as the tenant that is expected to take? Nobody's moving into Johnson Hardware.
- My voter's registration is there. OK. And in my mind,
- This isn't, and we talked about this on Monday. You can weigh in if you'd like, but I don't see this
- as being any different than early voting at the former NAPA location, voters registration at Johnson
- Hardware. I think we're in the same scenario and we can move after the primary or we can move after the
- the election. I prefer to do it after the primary. I think that makes the most sense. But the other
- piece to that isn't really a factor for me. So what you're saying, it is possible to leave Election
- Central right where it is, through the primary, without anybody wanting to kick them out, and then move,
- I assume shortly after the primary, June, July, whatever, into the new facility. Is that
- That's correct. I think we'd be moving in June. Unless this has changed since the council meeting, and
- I'm not aware that it has, someone looked at Election Central and there was conversations about them
- potentially moving in the space, but there wasn't a concrete, yes, you're doing this. So I don't think
- we have a tenant moving in. I think that
- It really, it's not a factor. It's not a factor with this project. You can see the optics from my perspective
- in that one day I get a call from my election supervisor wondering why people have shown up to view
- a space that we, I mean, there was no, hey, we're coming over, got some people who want to look at this
- thing. Sure, that was very confusing. It was very confusing and no follow up, no, sorry, kiss my foot, nothing.
- So how, I mean, the optics look like you got a tenant. And where are we going to be if they, you know,
- if they're signing the lease? I'm sorry that happened. Thank you. Thank you. That's fine. We've got
- a plan. We're going to say where we are through probably June and move after June to the new facility.
- And anybody that asks, that's the lie. I don't want to say the lie. That's the story you're going to
- tell them, correct?
- Yeah, I was also going to say, depending on when the construction is completed in January, if it's after
- the candidate filing, we have about a two-week space of time that we could transition to the new space
- before the primary. But I don't want to stick pressure on you guys to get that done for that. I don't
- want to burden your office with that. I think that's a lot.
- I think it's going to be, I don't know, we've done a few moves. You run into things. It's unfortunate
- that the space would be finished and empty for that amount of time. That is unfortunate. We talked about
- possibly you can move some things over there that aren't critical to your operation at that time. But
- I feel like it's like you said, it's a lot of extra pressure. I don't think we need to
- Apply to the situation. It's not broken if you know so we don't need to fix that. I would have no issue
- with that with that plan that the plan is to stay put through. May you know through the primary and
- then move start moving stuff in June, which gives you plenty of time before we need to have stuff going
- for the November election. I to me that makes sense.
- I think so, too. Thank you. Thank you. We've done this a little different. Anybody, anyone have comment
- on this plan? All right, then we'll move on. Thank you, sir. We'll move back on to the revisit of the
- motion that Ms. Givens made at the October meeting. As I would like to actually amend my motion,
- that the time frame that. I move that we get the Monroe county election board hold two public hearings
- on vote centers based upon the plan created by Monroe county vote center study committee earlier this
- year and according to Indiana law with the second hearing to be held on or before November the twenty
- sixth. Twenty twenty five.
- Just get it all out in front. There is zero reason to have these hearings because my constituency, my
- chairman are not the least bit interested in going to vote centers. We're not the only county that's
- turned them down. Habbleton County just did the same thing. There's not a huge demand for these in the
- county. You sent out $3,000 with postcards.
- and less than one half of one percent of the people that got those thought it was important enough to
- even take a picture and fill out a form. So you can talk about this if you want, but we're not going
- to go to vote centers and the foreseeable future of Monroe County is just not going to happen. So you're
- saying that there is absolutely nothing that would persuade you to change your mind. My mind has been
- is I don't see any reason for him personally, but I have a constituency and they have zero desire for these.
- So on the Indiana Secretary of State's website, and please keep in mind that there has been a Republican
- in that seat for over 30 years, one can find information on vote centers. One benefit of vote centers,
- according to the website, is that vote centers offer flexibility and convenience to voters by allowing
- them to cast a ballot at any county location of their choosing on election day. In 2010, 15 years ago,
- The Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute issued a report on vote centers. The Secretary of State's website
- indicates the key findings of this study include, vote centers can produce significant savings for counties
- that implement them. Vote centers give local election officials more flexibility. Vote centers can produce
- immediate and long-term savings. This study finds savings could result
- every election day as well as when time comes to purchase new equipment and vote centers will significantly
- reduce the machines needed. In 2013 then Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson traveled the state
- to discuss vote centers with county clerks and other officials. She collected feedback from current
- vote center clerks and those that attended the regional vote center meetings. In 2013 alone four additional
- counties moved to
- vote centers, and there have been 57 more since then. Cass, Tippecanoe, and Wayne counties were the
- first counties in Indiana to pilot the vote centers. In 2013, the clerks of these three counties were
- on a panel to discuss their experience with the vote centers, and all this can be found at the Secretary
- of State's website. You can click on the questions that they were asked.
- The clerks were Republican Joanne Stewart of Wayne County, Republican Beth Lemming of Cass County, and
- Republican Krista Coffey of Tippecanoe County. These three clerks all supported vote centers, saying
- they provided fiscal savings, fewer poll workers were needed, which made recruitment easier, fewer poll
- workers meant they could do a more thorough job training poll workers, fewer locations were needed,
- and they felt there was a
- there was better voter access because they weren't turning voters away who came to the wrong polling
- place. They also reported that voters were happy with vote centers and were supportive of maintaining
- them. So also included in some of the reports I've read, having vote centers does not significantly
- change voter turnout. It is issues and candidates that drive that.
- of the ballot. And as indicated on October the second. In twenty twenty four there were voters in Monroe
- county who attempted to vote at the incorrect polling places. And these voters had their ballots rejected.
- There were also instances of voters being given either an incorrect ballot or provisional ballot both
- of which might have been avoided with more intense training. In fact the clerk in in Wayne county said
- that if they needed to they
- your poll workers. And for many years, there has been a problem recruiting poll workers here for election
- day, and especially on the Republican side. So please keep in mind, too, that Republicans in Indiana
- favor vote centers, which is reflected in the fact that currently 71, this is an update from just a
- few days ago, 71 of the 92 counties in Indiana, meaning over three quarters of the counties, have vote
- centers. And that the Republican supermajority
- in the Indiana legislature, ask the Secretary of State to conduct public meetings regarding the will
- of the people to implement this voting mechanism. So I've asked for this because I feel there's a potential
- to increase voter convenience, save taxpayer money, improve poll worker training, and hopefully reduce
- the number of provisional ballots cast on election day. Thank you.
- I'm not asking for the hearings. I'm not asking for a vote center vote. There is zero purpose to drag
- people into a hearing because it's not going to change if they want to come in and talk great.
- I don't care, but. I work through my chairman. The people that work in work that are active in my party.
- They have given me 100% literally the ones I've talked to that they're against this and we're not going
- to change our vote because of that.
- When my constituency tells me they want it, then we'll consider changing the vote or when the law changes.
- I've spoken to both, two of the three candidates for Secretary of State. Neither one of them are interested
- in forcing this on different counties. Counties can make their own choice. I've spoken to them personally.
- There's no reason to have hearings.
- There's just no reason, because we're not, there's nothing that you've said that makes me think, gee,
- we have to do this. There's nothing you've said that makes our chairman think we have to do this. The
- groups that I represent are not interested in this. So you're not interested in saving money for the
- county? You said can save money. You didn't say will save money. And there's a difference in can and will.
- And the counties that have instituted they have saved money to contact them and get the numbers. No,
- you don't need to do that. Okay, you don't need to do that. So you're also not interested in
- voter convenience. Convenience is an interesting term. Okay. You know what, my first ballot was cast in 1970.
- I've moved several times. I never once have had any issue finding out where to vote. It's not that difficult.
- In fact, it's easier now than it was back then because all of us have these little computers in our
- hands that it's very easy to type in, where do I vote? I've done it a couple of times with different
- advisors just to see. It's not difficult. The website's not difficult. It's not difficult to call the
- office and find out where they are.
- You know, and I, truthfully, if someone that just shows up election day has done nothing beforehand
- anywhere, I don't really feel sorry for them. You're out of order. I will get to comment, you're out
- of order. You're out of order. If something gets me. Procedurally, I think this is where we are. There's
- been a motion in no second. Without a second, the motion's going to die.
- Is there a second? For the purposes of wrapping up this discussion, what I understood from the last
- election board meeting was that you were going to reach out to the Secretary of State directly
- for information that might be helpful today. Yes, ma'am, and I have done that.
- I did not see, if you want to report out on that, I think that would be helpful. I called him that evening
- on the way to the other meeting I have on the first Thursday night of the month. He called me back within
- five minutes and said his personal choice is precinct voting because it's more secure in his mind, and
- that the only reason he held these hearings was because a legislative committee had asked him to do so.
- He did. He did that again. He did not anticipate. Vote centers being mandated on the counties. Now again,
- that's he did not anticipate based on his discussions with the members of the General Assembly. That's
- the same question of the gentleman that Knox County chair who's also running for Secretary of State.
- His answer was very similar.
- not reached out to the gentleman who's running who doesn't live around here so it's hard to get a hold
- of me. So the other the only other question that I would ask because I have similar concerns to have
- two public hearings and ask people to leave their dinner tables leave their families if the vote is
- not going to change that does not seem prudent at the same time. I hear what you're saying today in
- terms of your party chair
- your constituents. I'm just asking this out loud. I serve at the pleasure of my county chair. That makes
- I didn't go looking for this trust me. I understand. So let me ask you and his his comment right now
- is, and I'm not going to get into the nuts and bolts of it. The way our party has been treated in so
- many different things.
- there's really no reason to change this. For example, we had to file a lawsuit to get a city
- board appointment that was ours by statute because the city council wouldn't see them. That person has
- since run for office as a Democrat. We had to do the same thing to get our person on the county health board.
- even though it's sat empty for quite some time. So when we get some cooperation ourselves as a party
- on those kind of things, we might be willing to talk about these kind of things. We don't have a great
- deal of power, but we're going to use what power we have. And at this point in time, I'm directed, OK,
- I'm going to vote the way my party tells me, regardless of my thoughts on it, which had this happened
- the last time, it wouldn't be in this position anyway.
- Until I get told differently, my vote's going to be no. And that's why there's no reason to bring people
- out here. The other thing is, for special meetings, I've discovered, as I've looked around things, the
- chair can call special meetings. This is by election law, what I've been told, can call special meetings,
- but does not have to allow them if passed for by somebody else.
- That's got very little to do with this right now other than I just see no reason to do it. I don't want
- to drag people out here. I don't want to drag your staff out of here. I don't want to drag the attorney
- and her staff out of here. There's no reason to. So again, to just continue the discussion because we're
- here. So if I understand you correctly,
- it is not likely that your party chair is going to release you to, even if you personally supported
- vote centers, your party chair is not going to release you from voting for them because- That would
- be correct. My chair was supposed to meet Kylie with you as well as the other chair where they were
- supposed to meet with you at some point. Correct. They could have those kinds of discussions at that
- point in time if they wanted to.
- But I did my own research to find out what I thought before the May meeting. But I voted in accordance
- with the direction I was given by the county chair. So then finally, Mr. Chair, it appears to me that
- there are people who are here to make some kind of comment. And so would you be open while we have absolutely
- to hear the people who have come this way and then
- that we can have the vote. Fine. But I mean they may or may not want to speak, but I do see people in
- the audience. That's fine. So if there is, if there are people who still want to comment. Feel free.
- I'm Ashley Kierberg. You might remember me. I wanted to like... Yes, you've called me a liar and said
- I slept through these meetings. I've read that. Okay, that's fine. You know what you also read? That
- you lied to the B Square. You lied to him because you posted a whole data sheet about the data about
- the vote centers across the state, right? You did. And you mentioned a lot of the counties which had
- vote centers. They actually didn't. How about the years that you posted?
- They didn't do it either. That came from state land. I'm trying to talk right now. Please don't talk
- over me. What I'm trying to get at is that you are trying to use a data sheet. And it makes it seem
- like you did a lot of research, right? You didn't. Because lying to the B-squared journalist just shows
- the research you're doing is skewed. So I just wanted you to know a data sheet that's flawed is still
- flawed. So Brown County that you listed,
- They didn't have one. Their Republican is actually listening to all constituents, to all people. What
- if there's somebody who's like, you know what? I want to be a Republican. I don't know. But they're
- listening to them, too. Did you talk to Brown County before you wrote their name down? No, you didn't.
- But you might want to tell the truth whenever a data sheet's flawed. So I think that that's important,
- as anybody here and anybody watching and anywhere else in this county, that you knew at the very beginning
- speed it up to spring that you were going to say no. So continuing to have me, I have five children.
- You know that. And I'm sitting there telling you that I saw something immediately. I'm a campaign manager,
- and I will look at all these data sheets. And immediately, I knew within seconds, I didn't have to do
- much research for that one. And I was like, Brown County doesn't have one. Lie. Tipton, all these years
- were not true. The percentages, you know why people don't vote often?
- The reason why these numbers are not listed, because of uncontested races. Did you know that? Okay,
- so the answer would probably be no. So what I'm trying to say is uncontested races are not going to
- drive the voters there. So maybe we should get out contested races. You want to put more people in Monroe
- County? Get it contested. Let's high five it. Let's do it. But what I'm saying is all across the state,
- there is people
- that want vote centers. I campaign in Morgan County. And how many times am I like, hey, go to Morgantown.
- Hey, go over here. And all of the people get excited, because they don't have to wait an hour in line.
- They could have children. They could have a blue collar job that they can't leave. And they can go five,
- 10 minutes and go down the road, and they can vote. So using your power, just so we can all laugh, so
- you can just laugh at the people, it's very laughable when your data sheet's flawed.
- So thank you. Thank you for your time. My data sheet came from data. I'm responding to you. Yeah,
- go ahead. Stay where you are. My data sheet came directly from state of Indiana. That's wild, because
- the state of Indiana is exactly where I found information. That's where mine came from. What website
- are you using? Because it's very different than the Indiana Secretary of State. I worked on mine with
- a prior person, a prior member of this board. Yeah.
- He helped me get it. I didn't look at it. Yeah. So you didn't do the research on it. Indiana Secretary
- of Website actually shows all of it. I used other people. So thank you for seeking out. You're welcome.
- Thank you. I just want to let you know. Thanks. Can I ask a question? Yeah, I know. Do you serve as
- a poll worker for us? I don't, not yet. But right now, I'm in advocacy and campaign managing. So that's
- what I do. Thank you. Thanks.
- My name is Laramie Wilson. I'm a Monroe County resident and retired election and voter registration
- staff. I support vote centers with a smaller footprint, meaning smaller number precincts than was voted
- on last summer.
- These would promise to reduce costs, but more importantly, most importantly, give Monroe County voters
- the accessibility of voting that the majority of the Indiana counties now delivers to their voters.
- In voting against the vote centers, board member Shields said, and these are direct quotes, I did my
- own research with people I represent.
- Second quote, literally zero were in favor of vote centers. Their concerns were about why should it
- be easier for non-residents to vote? If people pay out of state tuition, they are not residents of Monroe
- County. I would like to remind the appointed board members that they are not here to represent their parties.
- and in light also of comments made today by board member Shields. As appointed county election board
- members, you took an oath of office that said, I will support the constitution of the United States
- and of the state of Indiana and will faithfully, honestly, and impartially, I'm emphasizing impartially,
- discharge my duties as a member of this county election board. The Constitution of the state of Indiana
- says that in the courts and the statutes which interpret it says that they determine who are eligible
- voters in the state of Indiana. The eligibility is based on citizenship, age, and residency.
- and the Indiana Code states that students who live in Monroe County while at school are eligible residents
- to be eligible as voters in Monroe County and in the state of Indiana. So I ask that the board, Monroe
- County Election Board, cast your votes in accordance with the Constitution and the Indiana Code
- in the state of Indiana and with your oath of office, which you took to uphold impartiality. And I urge
- you to adopt vote centers to give Monroe County voters the voting accessibility in line with the rest
- of the state. Thank you.
- My name is Kathy Ruark, and for about nine years, I've been involved working at early voting. I'm actually
- in favor of having voting centers for at least the last couple of weeks of early voting. It's more convenient
- for the voters. And as opposed to election day, if you come in to vote during early voting and you didn't
- bring something that you should have, something's not right.
- That issue can be corrected. You can find out what you need. Go home and either come back that day or
- the next day. It's just more convenient for voters. Also, and that would decrease the number of provisional
- ballots. If you have voting centers in certain areas, elderly people who really want to vote in person,
- they're not quite ready.
- to ask for a travel board, then it would be more convenient for them to get to the voting place.
- And also, if they come one year with a caregiver to assist them, that's an opportunity for the staff
- at that voting center to educate them on next year or next election. You might want to consider asking
- for the travel board just to get that information out.
- I believe that it should be convenient for people to vote, and that voting centers would help with that.
- Kathy, thank you for your service. You are an integral part of early voting, and we are incredibly grateful
- for all that you do. Thank you so much. Hi, I'm Regina Moore, also a resident of Monroe County. I have
- not moved.
- my home in the past 40 years maybe, maybe longer. I voted at six different precinct locations, six different
- polling sites. And I voted at three different early voting sites. Things move around in this county
- election to election. But we are the nerds. We will find where we're going to vote no matter what.
- I have voted from a farmhouse in Italy. I have voted from a condo in Florida during COVID. And you found
- me, and I appreciate that. Thank you. But I think it is in the, and of course, I'm a favorite of those
- centers. In this discussion,
- And in the voting for vote centers, the propensity to approve or not approve them, I think it's really
- a little disingenuous to look at the way the Democratic Party has treated the Republican Party in a
- separate area of government within a city board appointment. That doesn't make sense to me. That's not
- what we're here for.
- That's somebody else's position. Whether you pay tuition in state or out of state at a local institution,
- that's a different level of government. That's not what we're here for. Frankly, we moved here to go
- to school. My first vote was at the Unionville School, 1972. And oh, I take that back. I've had more
- than one place, yes.
- We were happy to vote here, but my husband wasn't considered an in-state student. He was an out-of-state
- student. We registered our car here and had license plates. We owned a home here. We had a child in
- school here. And yet, according to what you said, Mr. Shields, because we paid out-of-state tuition,
- we didn't belong here.
- We weren't a resident here. If you pay out of state tuition, you're not a resident here. That's not
- taking into consideration how many people live here all year long and may just still pay out of state
- tuition. Because once you start a degree at IU without a state tuition, that's your designation until
- you finish that degree. I also think it's a little bit disingenuous to start acting like the Republican
- and Democratic Party on the national level.
- We have people in Congress who say, no matter what, no. No, I'm not changing my mind. No, no. And that's
- what I'm seeing here. And I don't like it. We are Bloomington. We're Monroe County. And we can do better.
- Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Madam Clerk.
- Madam board member, sorry, my voice here. My name's John Lettner. I'm a almost 40-year resident of Perry
- Township, a retiree from General Motors in Bedford for 38 years working there. Since I retired, I've
- become an election official, working every election, primary and general since 2020. I got a little
- bit of a unique perspective in that I work
- early voting and on Election Day. And I understand there's preferences about, well, we don't think early
- voting is... that regardless, that you can own that. But the problems as an early voting lead and an
- Election Day poll inspector are similar.
- Not a day goes by without several voters showing up to vote in person. They want to vote in person,
- and they fail to meet some qualification. But on Election Day, there's no second chance, and primarily
- on Election Day, it's people at the wrong polling site. I think the causes
- things are confusing the voters. They have the right idea in mind, but even as a poll worker or poll
- lead, I work through Monday before election day under one set of guidelines, and I gotta get up at four
- in the morning on Tuesday, go to be a poll inspector, and tell all these people what to do in a different
- set of guidelines.
- I mean, I signed up for it, but the voting center idea is a solution to some of the confusion. That's
- why I stand here today in favor of it, because I think it's less confusing for the voters and the workers.
- You know, why not simplify? I wrote down here that we have 65 of our counties already doing it, and
- I guess since I wrote that, it became 71. It just seems... how about this term? Common sense. Don't
- people like to use that term nowadays? And if you don't believe me,
- ask the people in the other counties. They could go back, as I understand. I don't know that any have.
- And lastly, thank you, Laramie, because we got to quit being elected and appointed people, doing what
- our party tells us to do, and start doing it the other way. Thank you for your time.
- Mr. Ledner, I want to also thank you for your service. You, too, have been an amazing part of early
- voting for years now. I can't remember an election in recent past that you haven't been a major tour
- de force with early voting. And for that, I want to express my gratitude. Mr. Chair, I don't see anybody
- else who might want to make public comment. I don't know about online.
- So okay, so then I guess that for the purpose of again wrapping up this discussion, my presumption is
- that in the same way that vote centers would have to have a unanimous vote that to move forward with
- public hearings, we would have to have. Not according to the law I read according to what law you read
- election law. Go ahead.
- I do not think the vote to move forward with having the public hearings required is required to be unanimous,
- but you are correct that the implementation or approval of a vote center plan would have to be unanimous.
- I contacted man coach or. At the state about what would need what we would need to do in this regard,
- and he said that we only need a majority to do the hearings. I'd be happy to share that email with you.
- No, he's funding the phone numbers in my phone too. Oh, sure. So then I guess that where I am is it
- does not feel right to ask people to come out if, I mean, my vote isn't changing either. I support unanimous
- to turn all of our polling sites into vote centers and not redo. So my vote isn't going to change either.
- to vote. I mean, two votes have already they've said my vote isn't going to change. You were asking
- people leave your home. Leave your dinner table. Leave your kids and come out and it's going to end
- up the same. What moves the needle? It's what would move the needle for Mr Shields and made very clear
- his party chair is not going to release him to
- the people who appointed him to this board. That is correct. I am very, very disheartened that there
- are people who say that there is nothing that would ever, ever change their mind. I just find that very
- disheartening. I'm sorry you feel that way.
- Being in a position to make decisions that some people don't like I've done for over 50 years. It really
- it it is what it is. And I I'm not you can have the hearings. But until I get it until the people that
- I and and. Taking things out of context is just as just as. Or decision making as.
- other stuff is. I went to multiple groups that were Republican groups, and I said, you tell me what
- you want me to vote. And it was literally, that's why I used the word literally, unanimous, that they
- don't want them in Monroe County. They did not like the plan. They didn't like the fact that there was
- nothing in that plan that would preclude
- The office, the board, the whatever from pulling them to save money from out in the county and centralizing
- them. There was nothing in that plan that that required this many. They did not want it. They did not
- want it to be centralized around the University. There's nothing to stop that. There's a lot of stuff
- that you know I understand people that want to talk about
- residents or not residents. I have a problem with, honestly, I have a problem with people that don't
- pay property taxes voting on referendums to raise property taxes, you know, because it doesn't affect
- them. So they're really, until I can get people that I'm, I hate to say represent, but that fits as
- well as anything, until we get a change in attitude or philosophy from them, there's nothing that's
- going to change the way we vote.
- I can say no pretty easily. I've done it for a long time. I can say yes when it comes time.
- Are you OK? I thought you wanted to say something. I do, but I don't want to interrupt, too. No,
- go ahead. I know that you've moved past the public comment period, and so I don't know if you want to
- reopen it, but I did want to draw your attention that there's a hand online. I believe it's. Oh,
- thank you. Thank you. I wasn't looking at that.
- We can go ahead and take it. We have a public comment. It's I'm not sure who it is. A lot of stonebreaker
- who would share the okay votes are coming a lot of go ahead. Yeah, I just had a comment on that. The
- vote center plan did say that we that there was a stipulation that the the county keep a vote center
- in every. In in in each of the.
- the 13, sorry, I'm forgetting the term for it, but our subsets. The townships. The townships.
- Thank you. Sorry, my brain. In each of the townships, so there was mechanisms in place to make sure
- that there were not any focusing on those locations, as well as there was a focus on their
- about eliminating redundancy in physical locations. So circulating them around the campus wouldn't make
- sense because one of the goals is to have them physically separate from each other to eliminate redundancy.
- So I just wanted to make sure that that was included because that was included in the plan presented.
- Thank you. Thank you. So I go back to I understood
- that his vote was not going to change at the last meeting. You called this special meeting. He's indicated
- today that his vote is not going to change, that he doesn't anticipate. Is there something that you're
- anticipating if we have these public hearings and we ask these people to come out that is going to turn
- this around so that we walk away? My crystal ball doesn't work very well. I don't know what people might
- come and say.
- That would be the reason that I would want to have the hearings. I watched the stuff that occurred earlier
- this year. I have been paying attention very strongly. But there may be other people who feel that their
- voices, that they didn't understand that they should have spoken up. I can't predict what will be said
- or not said. Yeah. I just know that in 2020,
- 18, Morgan County went to vote centers. They halved the number of polling places. In 2022, Jackson County
- moved down to just six vote centers. There was absolutely no complaint about people feeling inconvenienced
- or having problems getting to places. And Jackson County, many parts of that are very rural. It's been
- just within the last few months that
- Brown County has now gone ahead with the vote center stuff. And that was not on the Secretary of State's
- website that I saw two weeks ago, but it is up there now. So I'm just saying that I don't know what
- people might say. But again, I want to point out that the potential for saving money, it's Republicans
- that talk about waste and fraud, waste and fraud, waste and fraud. I think this is a waste of money
- to not have vote centers.
- Maybe you should ask your county council to put together a plan that shows exactly where they put them
- and how much money they'd save. Bring that back. The county council does not do that. County council
- handles the money. But it's the county commissioners that approve. They have the commissioners do it.
- And then let me take that back to my leadership and they might change their mind.
- One thing I would say that does kind of concern me about reopening the vote center discussions is that
- it would be with the same plan that was already voted down. My thought is if you're wanting to reopen this
- recreate a plan. They can start based off of the plan that already exists, but work on that one,
- fine tune it, find the information that Danny is specifically asking for and move forward from there
- so that the information can be portrayed in a different way so it's not the exact same plan that's being
- voted on. With my understanding, and perhaps I am not remembering correctly, but they laid out three
- different options
- I believe. They recommended one, but they didn't dismiss having either of the other two also acted upon.
- And with regard to recommending where the vote center should be, I hope that the clerk will clarify
- this if I'm misspeaking. In the past, what has happened is that people from the election division have
- made recommendations about where the polling site is, and then
- commissioners give final approval on that. So it's backwards to say, let's have the commissioners do
- it. What I said with the commissioners, show us how they're going to save the money. If we're talking
- about it being a money saver. You don't seem to understand how county government works. I don't have
- as many years in county government as you do. I really admit that. Mr. Chair, let me ask you this.
- if we were to consider the other option, which was not the universal, but to reduce it to 20? There
- was a plan for 29, 22, and 20. OK. So let's meet in the middle, 22. Would you be more open to let my
- leadership look at that? 22 was the one that was voted on at the last hearing. OK.
- What are the dates that you're proposing for the public hearings? I don't know when this room was available.
- That's what I was saying. I just would like to have it before late November to give us time to look
- at this in December. We not only have to come up with two dates, we'd have to send out public notice
- again. We'd have to send out public notice. We could do in the newspaper only.
- The last time that we did it, we had also added in the postcards. It's my understanding. Maybe I can
- find the email from Mr. Kochevar. But the first hearing doesn't have to have a big notice. It's the
- second one that has to occur at least 30 days after to give people time to send in things. That's the
- one that we sent the postcards out for the last.
- set of public hearings. And it would have to be wrapped up by the 26th. That's what I was proposing,
- which is the day before Thanksgiving. But that doesn't mean it has to occur that day, just I'm saying
- before that time. So the next election board meeting is November 6th and then
- two weeks after that is November 20th. I will say these hearings that we had during the last set was
- after I think the first one was at five, the second one was at five. It was early evening, yes. I think
- if you're right, Molly, it was five or 530, one or the other.
- And the email that I got about this, Mr. Achiever said that IC code 3-11-18.3-3E requires that after
- the first public hearing, the county election board must wait at least 30 days to hold a second hearing.
- During the 30 day period, the board should accept any written comments on the draft vote center plan
- that was presented at the first public meeting.
- After that 30 day period ends, the county election board can then hold a second hearing to consider
- the written public comments filed since the first hearing and hear from others who want to speak at
- the second hearing. So that's December. Well, no, we can have the first hearing next week.
- have to double check but I think that the first hearing has to be advertised for a certain period of
- time and it's greater than the 48 hour like for a regular meeting. If this says the statute does not
- provide that any special or advanced notice needs to be given to the public so only the so only the
- notice requirement under open door law. I'm not going to be here needs to be observed. Okay I'm not
- I'm going to be gone the next two Thursdays so we if you can again. We had. May I suggest. It doesn't
- need to be a Thursday. May I suggest.
- that since I'm voting in accordance with the direction I'm getting from my chair, that we have my chair
- and the opposite party chair get together, maybe with Kylie. We actually have a meeting tomorrow scheduled.
- And have a conversation. And rather, again, rather than drag people out for nothing. It's just the two
- chairs. Or they're just having just a meeting. It's just nothing fancy, I don't believe. Have a conversation.
- And after they have a conversation, then we can revisit this. Also, I have another question. If,
- by chance, this was to get passed and vote centers were approved for Monroe County, when are we looking
- at implementing them? Because the equipment will not be here for the primary. So one of the things I
- heard you say last meeting in early October was that they were switching printers to a brother's printer.
- provide new printers with brothers, providing the correct hardware and software, I would think that
- they should be able to do that for additional new printers. I mean, you're going from an old system
- to a new system. I don't understand why there couldn't be those. It's the actually building the equipment
- itself. The manufacturer turnaround time is six to eight months from heart.
- because it's a full device. It's not just a printer. It's called a print device. And those are programmed
- with all the data inside of it that has every single ballot that we have for Monroe County. And it's
- connected to every voter so that when we scan a barcode at early voting, it prints the exact ballot
- that individual needs.
- So it's not just a computer with a printer. It's an actual print device machine. And if you wanted to,
- I could get with our IT specialists and see when we could have a couple of those pulled for you to see
- what they look like. You can say something. I was thinking about saying something, but I guess I am.
- I think it's fine to do all this.
- I had to have Kylie check with heart and see the timeline, but procedurally we're a little ahead of
- where we should be because the motion hasn't even been seconded. So we don't know if we're having public
- hearings. So I think we have to go back to the underlying motion at hand. Well, there's a motion. There
- is not yet a second and I don't want to.
- I feel, because we did already have the talk tomorrow with both parties, we as in me, not the rest of
- the election board, not an announced or noticed meeting, that I'd rather have that conversation with
- both party chairs. And then can we table this motion until the November meeting?
- Because it sounds like we wouldn't get it done for the primary that the soonest, if the needle could
- be moved at all, the soonest would be in time for the general. I think that you would have to second
- it and then make a motion to table it. There hasn't been a second yet. Well, then I'll second and then
- make a motion to table. I'll second the motion. Table it until the November meeting.
- So I think if there's a second, then there would be a vote on that motion. And if that motion proceeds
- or not, after that motion is resolved, you could make a new motion to table. Or alternatively, you could
- withdraw your second, the motion would die, and then you could table the conversation. I'm sorry, say
- the very last sentence you said.
- So alternatively, you could withdraw your second, which means that motion dies. And then we're still
- in the conversation, so another board member could propose another motion. So if you withdraw your second,
- the motion at hand dies, then you could make another motion, whether it is to table or do something
- different. She seconded it, and then she made a motion to table it. So there needs to be a second on
- that, and then you vote to table.
- She can still withdraw her motion, her second of the initial motion. I'll withdraw my second of the
- initial motion. So procedurally, the second has been withdrawn, which means unless someone else is seconding
- board member Givens' motion, that motion's going to die. We're still in the conversation. So if another
- board member has an alternative motion they would like to propose, then they could do so. So you could
- make your motion to table if you'd like.
- I'll make a motion to table that. And for clarity, are you tabling it to the November 6th meeting or
- to a different date? Because of timing, it'd be better to table it till the December meeting because
- I'm going to have a proxy here in November. And I guarantee you they're not going to say anything, not
- going to prove anything of this nature. That gives us time to talk to. That gives time for chairpersons
- to talk and other people to talk.
- Legally, Molly, I promise not in not in fruit. So I believe the motion is to table to December 4th,
- which is the date of the December election board meeting. That would be my motion. Yes, second. Those
- in any discussion. Those in favor I I opposed I they put it or whatever.
- Thank you. We've had a comment on that. So I would entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn.
- Second. In favor, aye. Aye. Aye. Motion to be adjourned.