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Grant will help county improve elections locally
A grant of nearly $25,000 should make Election Day a smoother process for Putnam County voters and poll workers as soon as this November.
On Tuesday morning, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales visited the Putnam County Courthouse, delivering a local Election Improvement Grant check of $24,535 to Clerk Tracy Bridges, Voter Registration Clerk Stacia Hathaway and their staff members.
Since the start of the year, more than 75 Indiana counties have received federal Help America Vote Act funds administered by Morales’ office. On Tuesday, he visited Parke County as well.
“It’s such a great opportunity,” Hathaway told the Banner Graphic. “I’m glad he’s been able to help.
That help should come in a number of forms that will make Election Day much smoother for election workers at both polling and tabulation sites.
Hathaway noted that the electronic poll books and voting machines require a WiFi hotspot to work properly, but that the hotspots formerly in use were from 2017, out of date and not working properly.
“They were just not adequate, so we asked for new hotspots,” Hathaway said. “The poll workers have a hard enough job on Election Day without having to run around and readjust the hotspots.”
Additionally, procedures on the night of the election require the use of a printer, but not just any will do, as it must be a secure printer, free from the connectivity of networks to which most printers are connected. The old printer stopped working, but a new one will be purchased with these funds.
In what should provide a big relief to poll workers, the grant will also provide transportation funding to get the election equipment to and from polling places. Each unit is now much larger than it was in the past and weighs 52 pounds. Not only is this a physical burden to the workers, but the units themselves cannot simply be transported in the trunk of a car.
The county is also purchasing styluses for signing the electronic poll books so voters no longer have to do so with their fingers.
Additional funding will go toward a new copier in the Voter Registration Office, new feather banners for polling places and a year’s worth of maintenance fees for uselectionslive, the website Putnam County uses for reporting live elections results.
“We tried to really focus on what would improve our elections,” Hathaway said. “I’m really happy it worked out the way it did.”
The funding falls in line with the stated use for the funds, which includes local election security, safety and voter outreach projects. The latest round of statewide grants is valued at approximately $1 million.
“I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you,” Morales told the local staff. “You are the backbone of our elections. I am proud to be working alongside you. Thank you. We’re here for you. You’re not alone.
“I don’t need to spend this money for radio ads, TV ads when you can actually use it here in the county,” Morales added. “Encourage our fellow Hoosiers and drive them to the polls.”
Previous funding has been utilized for a wide variety of improvements such as voter outreach efforts, additional signage, security upgrades and more. Many counties implemented election improvements for the Primary Election.
“We’ve made stops in every corner of our state and in between," Morales said. "I’m proud to hand deliver these election improvement grants to our Hoosier county clerks. These funds will support their critical work in enhancing election security, accessibility, and efficiency. These timely resources will help ensure safe and secure elections.”
Indiana citizens are encouraged to check their voting status and, if necessary, to register to vote prior to the Oct. 7 voter registration deadline. This may be done at the Putnam County Voter Registration Office on the second floor of the Putnam County Courthouse or online at www.indianavoters.com.
The General Election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.