Concept whose time has come

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May 20, 2009

By Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune The Kokomo Tribune Wed May 20, 2009, 06:12 PM EDT

We were disappointed that Gov. Mitch Daniels vetoed what Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita described as the one local government reform to make its way through the Indiana General Assembly.

Senate Bill 209 would have allowed counties throughout the state to have elections using the vote center concept that Cass County adopted last year.

Opponents objected to the measure, not because of the vote centers but because of other provisions. One was the repeal of a requirement that bipartisan election boards vote unanimously on satellite early voting locations. The other was a provision allowing voters to cast absentee ballots without an excuse.

We understand the concern about a bipartisan election process. Any measure that would allow one party to ignore concerns of the other in managing an election should be cause for concern.

We’re less sympathetic to opponents’ objections to no-excuse absentee voting.

Making it easier for Hoosiers to vote should be everyone’s goal.

For years, voters across the state have been limited to casting ballots at a single polling place during one 12-hour period. Vote centers allow them to cast ballots over several days at any of a number of locations throughout the county.

The whole idea is to give voters the chance to vote at a location that fits best into their schedules. They might choose a site near home, or they might choose one near the office. Heck, they might even swing by a vote center during a weekly trip to the grocery store.

The idea is to take voting to the voters, and it’s a concept whose time has come.

With local government under increasing pressure to trim expenses, moving to vote centers seems to us to be a no-brainer. By cutting down on the number of polling sites, the concept allows counties to save money by operating their elections with less voting equipment and fewer poll workers.

At the same time, the centers make it easier for everyone to vote.

This is one of those rare scenarios in which everybody wins.

Rokita has expressed the hope that lawmakers will incorporate the concept into the budget measure they will be considering during a special session next month.

We join in that hope.

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