Residents in Lyon County who reside in care homes likely won’t have to go far to vote this fall as Lyon County is planning on having polling places located inside each of them.
Lyon County Clerk Karen Hartenbower said she served on a task force with about a dozen people who together developed a bill that is expected to pass this session. Regardless if it passes or not, Hartenbower plans on instituting the plan in Lyon County in time for presidential elections.
The bill would allow polling sites to be established in long-term care homes to provide the residents an opportunity to vote. Hartenbower said there is some concern in larger counties that voter fraud may be occurring because of family members or staff members filling out ballots for the residents.
Polling sites established in care homes would be for the residents only. Voting will not be open to the general public at those locations, Hartenbower said. She said the polling places would be established 20 days before the election and locally she has hired the League of Women Voters to conduct the polling. Ballots will be taken to each care home and possibly the touch screens, Hartenbower said.
The care homes will be notified prior to the polling sites being set up and an exact count of how many ballots are needed will be tallied.
“We will know in advance which rooms to go to,” Hartenbower said.
Hartenbower estimates the polling will take about two hours per site. After ballots are filled out they will be taken back to the County Clerk’s office.
“We will be the keeper of the ballots,” Hartenbower said. “It’s really kind of exciting.”
Hartenbower said some counties are dragging their feet with establishing the polling sites.
“I’m not,” she said. “I can see it happening in Lyon County.”
madpoet (anonymous) says...
That's a nice note for Karen to go out on. I hope our next Clerk will be as progressive and passionate about the right to vote.
April 11, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )