Herald Times coverage of satellite voting rally
The Bloomington Herald-Times also covered our rally in support of satellite voting yesterday:
“We believe that each election should be better run, more accessible and more convenient for voters than the last,” Dietz said. “We respect each voter’s franchise by doing all we can to make voting as simple and accessible as possible. Satellite voting is one way we can do this.”
State Rep. Matt Pierce also attended, calling the county election board to make voting convenient for citizens.
He said the state Legislature required election boards’ votes on establishing satellite sites to be unanimous, but said that was done with the intention of not allowing one party to set sites that could potentially draw more of that party’s voters. Legislators intended for election board workers to negotiate such sites in good faith, he said, encouraging Monroe County’s election board to do just that.
“Let’s work together, both parties, in good faith,” Pierce said. “And let’s make sure we have a convenient, well functioning election session.”
County commissioners’ president Patrick Stoffers also spoke, saying, “We shouldn’t have less voting. We should have more voting.”
He pointed out the commissioners had brought forward a $12,000 appropriation request to pay for operating such satellite sites, which was recently approved by the county council.
And Kelly Smith — an IU senior who is both president of the IU College Democrats and part of a group called Students for Access to Voting Early, or SAVE — said her fellow students are both aware and engaged with the local community.
“This isn’t a partisan issue,” she said. “It’s a participation issue.”
To read the full story, see: http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2010/08/30/news.qp-9277094.sto (Subscription Req’d)