The May 3 primary will be Porter County's first election using vote centers. That means voters will be able to cast their ballot at any one of 44 voting locations. Clerk Jessica Bailey says they'll also be able to go online and see which has the shortest line.
"We've been working with GIS to be able to advertise the wait times at all the vote centers. When they're looking for where they want to go, they'll be able to see the wait time," Bailey told the county council Tuesday.
Council members agreed to give the returning judges an extra $15 in pay to input the information. Bailey said election officials initially planned to hire separate line monitors, but they're having trouble finding poll workers as it is.
"We're still reaching out to different government classes, and a lot of the school systems have eLearning days, so that's helpful. But it's still always difficult," she added.
Porter County is making a major push to notify residents of the switch to vote centers. Council members agreed to transfer $80.000 dollars for mailings and $40,000 for advertising, although the actual amount being spent may be lower. Bailey said the advertising campaign includes billboards, radio, newspapers, and movie theaters in Portage and Valparaiso. Libraries, chambers of commerce and other nonprofit groups have also been helping to spread the word.
