Guest columnist and former Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair, Jocelyn Vare, recently responded to my newspaper report on the May election. She claims the ‘nearly flawless’ election was flawed. She said it sent hundreds of Hamilton County voters away. She claims that a Holland Park (located in Fishers) Democratic poll worker reported that approximately 700 people arrived there to vote on Election Day, and she claimed that about 220 had to be redirected to a different polling location.
She advocated for voting centers to make it more convenient.
But let’s look at the facts.
To be clear, it was not the election setup that sent hundreds of voters away if, in fact, that happened. Her Democratic voters apparently did not take the time to be sufficiently advised on the election to know where they should go to vote. That information was readily available on the Hamilton County webpage, at the Hamilton County Elections Office, and in the Reporter Newspaper, among other places.
In deciding whether to institute voting centers, this same convenience argument was brought to the Hamilton County Election Board. I reasoned that if a voter was not diligent enough to find out where they could vote, they may not have been informed enough on the issues and candidates to be the type of voter that would serve this county well.
Voting seemed more accessible by being closer to the voter. It is accessible through absentee and in-person early voting, which was open numerous days. Early voting locations for the general election are already available on the Hamilton County webpage.
Vote centers implementation would require a ballot with all of the approximately 98 candidates who ran for office in the current election. It would need to also include more than 100 precinct committeemen and state delegates that threw their hat into the ring. The size of the ballot alone would have its own complications. As ballots get bigger, equipment may need to be replaced.
Ms. Vare’s argument of convenience did not carry weight when I voted against vote centers. I said then that I wanted to wait until Allen County had tried out the new vote center system there. Allen County has recently reported that the size of their ballot on the voting machines led to drawn-out vote counting. The equipment and software to have an election to vote for 300 or so candidates is not a seamless task.
Senator Jim Banks blasted the delayed Allen County election results. I did not want that to happen here.
I am glad we waited.
While it is always important to consider better options for voting, I thought then, and still think now, that caution is warranted before we change our voting systems.
Jennifer Murphy also sent me a letter. She first indicated that we could not be proud of 17 percent voter turnout. It is all how you look at it. I contend that 100 percent of the voters voted. Eighty-some percent voted that things were going along well enough that they did not need to vote for change. They were equally satisfied with either of the candidates for a particular office. That thought is comforting to know that Hamilton County is apparently doing things right and has many quality candidates from which to choose.
Ms. Murphy also indicated she had trouble finding information about the Election Board. I have been appointed by the Republican Party Chairman. The Democratic Chairman also has an appointment, and the County Clerk rounds out the three-member Board. If you Google Hamilton County Election Board, a webpage comes up. It shows our next meeting at 11 a.m. on May 15 in the Clerk’s Office. The agenda calls for the Board to review provisional ballots and certify final election results. Other Election Day matters will also be discussed. The public is always welcome to attend.
The Board welcomes input on problems and perceived problems and suggestions on how to do things better. We also like the opportunity to explain the difficulties not readily apparent in some seemingly simple solutions.
Ray Adler is a longtime attorney with offices at The Adler Building, 136 S. 9th St., Downtown Noblesville. He is also one of the owners of The Hamilton County Reporter Newspaper.
Hi. Mr. Adler,
As a resident of Fishers I live in one of those areas where the precincts and locations are confusing. Holland Park voting location is across the street (Ellipse Parkway) from my house. I vote at the Delaware Township building a mile and 1/2 away. So I totally believe that many people had to be redirected. It should be easy for people to vote and I suspect that is somehow mention in what you agreed to do for your position. I worked the polls at Prairie View Church. We had not a single misdirection.
For the Primaries I definitely think you cost the county money by not doing this. I believe Hamilton there were 100+ polling places. Each had the requisite 2 clerks, 2 judges, 2 sherrifs and 1 inspector. While combined or central voting would still likely require the same number of clerks and judges. The inspectors and the sherriffs could be cut by the reduced number. None of these positions would effect customer service on voting date. It would save about $50K in the small stipend the poll workers get. Also gas, staff, etc. to set up polling locations.
Finally it is a bad look for Hamilton County. The surrounding counties are working to make it easier to vote. I want everyone to participate in our democracy. I would hope anyone involved in the election would as well.
Shout out to Beth Sheller, Elections Administrator. She and her team did an excellent job. From the training videos to actual election day it was super easy to participate as a poll worker.
Corrections: The report of 220 voters needing to be redirected to a different voting location was made by the Republican Inspector, not a Democratic poll worker as Mr. Adler stated. Secondly, Mr. Adler states that (my) Democratic voters apparently did not take the time to know where they should go to vote. Obviously, that’s unproven and is an unnecessary partisan jab from Mr. Adler. Any voter of any political affiliation should be valued by Mr. Adler, a member of the HamCo Election Board who oversees elections for ALL voters.
Mr. Adler,
I actually appreciate hearing the reasoning behind your concerns with voting centers because I think most residents understand election systems are more complicated than they appear from the outside.
Honestly, some of the logistical concerns you raised about ballot size, equipment limitations, and delayed vote counting in other counties are interesting for all of us to learn about and consider. Most voters probably never think about the behind-the-scenes realities of running an election at that scale.
But I’ll be honest, the part that stuck with me was the suggestion that voters who arrived at the wrong polling location may not be the kind of voters that “serve the county well.” We should expect better from our local leadership than language that makes residents feel looked down on for being confused, overwhelmed, or imperfect. Trust in elections is not built by questioning the value of voters. It is built by encouraging participation and helping people feel confident navigating the process.
Life is messy. People are juggling jobs, kids, caregiving, health issues, stress, and schedules. Some people are voting for the first time in years or trying to become more engaged locally for the first time ever. Confusion does not automatically equal ignorance.
I think this is actually a really important moment for local leaders and community voices on all sides. If we want stronger civic engagement, then people need to feel invited into the process, not judged by it.
Help people find their polling locations.
Encourage them to vote early.
Teach them how local elections work.
Remind them their voice matters here too.
That’s how confidence in local government grows. Not by assuming the best voters are the ones who never struggle with the process, but by making people feel like participation matters even when they’re imperfect humans trying to keep up with life.
At the end of the day, I think our community is better served by encouragement, education, and engagement than by rhetoric that risks making people feel unwelcome in the process.
Was there a split in a precinct due to a population growth which resulted in another polling place being the result? I do not feel sorry for voters who do not vote every election who become confused or complain. Always vote in every election and you will know where to go and be on top of the issues and candidates. The Hamilton County Reporter does an excellent job on presenting candidate bios and information.