Dubois County Election Board Reveals Vote Center Plan to the Public

Jasper - Monday night, in the Dubois County Annex, the Election Board presented the Dubois County Vote Center Plan to the public and the media.

Should the Vote Center Plan go into effect in September, Dubois County residents would shift from assigned polling places - to voting in the most convenient location for them, county-wide. The Vote Center model provides a number of benefits on election day, says Dubois County Clerk Amy Kippenbrock in the plan documents.

"By moving to vote centers, voter convenience is improved; voter turnout will increase; election administration is streamlined and made simpler and improves the county's long-term fiscal stance for elections."

Minor tweaks to polling locations are proposed in the plan. The former Dubois Middle School location would move to the Dubois County "Ruritan" Park Clubhouse. For the proposed new location, the board has requested permission to receive five new, stronger WiFi hotspots which are awaiting the state's approval.

The plan would also see the former locations at the Habig Center and Jasper Arts Center shift to the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center. The change, according to the board, was spurred on by complications in scheduling and lower polling numbers.

For Presidential and Midterm Elections, the plan would include election day sites at: Jasper Middle School (Jasper), Thyen-Clark Cultural Center (Jasper), St. Mary's Community Center (Jasper), the Huntingburg Event Center (Huntingburg), Holland United Methodist Church (Holland), Tri-County YMCA (Ferdinand), Celestine Community Center (Celestine), St. Anthony Community Center (St. Anthony), and Dubois Ruritan Park (Dubois).

In addition, early voting sites would be hosted at the Courthouse Annex (Jasper), Tri-County YMCA (Ferdinand), Huntingburg Event Center (Huntingburg), and the 35th Street Fire Station (Jasper). Roaming Board Sites would bet set up at a different location each day of the week.

The county plans to continue using the same machine as in years past, which shows, on paper, that the machine recorded your vote - a technology that isn't required in the State of Indiana until 2029. The county will have a public test for voters who would like to verify that machines are working correctly ahead of casting their votes on election day.

Kippenbrock is confident that the county is well set come election day.

"I think we have the right amount of equipment, we have the right locations, I believe our equipment does what it's supposed to be doing, and that Dubois County voters can have confidence in our election," Kippenbrock said.

Monday's meeting officially kicks off the mandatory 30-day period for public feedback and concerns. The next meeting has been tentatively planned for 7:00 p.m. on September 27th.

Should the election board elect to move forward with the Voting Center Plan, it must pass unanimously to be adopted.

The Vote Center Plan digital copy can be found, online, at https://Duboiscountyin.org/explore_dubois_county/voter_information/index.php