STATEHOUSE (March 9, 2009) - State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) is continuing his push to preserve vote centers in Tippecanoe County, a successful program now threatened by an amendment attached to House Bill 1106.

Despite the documented success of vote centers, Alting said the bill continuing their operation is in limbo due to a proposed House amendment regarding no-fault absentee voting. This provision would allow voters anywhere to cast early ballots by mail, even if they do not meet established criteria for voting absentee.

Alting is a member of a conference committee designed to work out differences between House and Senate versions of HB 1106, which is set to expire before the 2011 municipal elections.

“Hoosier voters and the local units of government operating in the three pilot program counties should not be punished because agreements can’t be made about absentee balloting,” Alting said. “The issue of absentee balloting should not hold this bill hostage, but rather, absentee voting provisions should stand on their own in a separate bill where they can be debated and sent through the legislative process.”

Vote centers - tested during the 2008 election in Tippecanoe and two other Indiana counties - showed high rates of success, in part, because of their convenience and accessibility. According to the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, vote centers also provide significant cost savings because they allow election officials to staff fewer polling places and reduce the number of voting machines needed to conduct an election.

Sen. Alting represents Senate District 22, which includes a portion of Tippecanoe County.