Let's Turn the Focus on the Election

Let's begin looking forward to May 4th, Election Day throughout Marion County and the day Decaturites can send a loud message about which direction we want our school district to travel. But, while it will benefit all of us, it will take a little effort from each of us. Add to this list, please, but this is my to-do list for Decaturites over the next 15 days.

1) If you are registered to vote, but will not be in town on May 4, you can vote by mail (aka absentee voting) or in person at the City-County Building (aka early voting). To vote by mail you must fill out and send in an absentee voting application form and you will need to state a reason - like you will be out of town, you can't get off work the full 12 hours the polls are open, you are 65 or older, etc, etc, etc. The official reasons are listed on the application and you check the correct one. The application is due by April 26 - so not much more time to get that in. Voting in person at the City-County Building has been made easier - in that the entrance to the building from Pennsylvania Street is straight to Election Board office (inside the Clerks office), and you do not have to go through security screening - and there are some weekend hours available in addition to ample hours to vote during the week.
click here for the Election Board description of voting by mail and for the application and for the Election Board hours for voting in person at the City-County Building

2) If you live on a busy street or the corner lot of a busy intersection, put a sign in your yard. Call or email Natalie Coffey (455-9886 necoffey@comcast.net) and Bobby Hire (856-7015 bobbyhire@yahoo.com) for a sign.

3) Volunteer to work the polls for Natalie and Bobby. This can be as little as one hour at your own polling place. There are 10 voting locations in Decatur Township. The polls will be open from 6 am to 6 pm. Perhaps there is an hour or two before or after work where you could ask folks to vote for the challengers. Before and after work are the busiest times at the polls, as common sense would suggest. So, even if it seems like a small bit of time to help, it can be the most effective time to help. Again, call or email Natalie Coffey (455-9886 necoffey@comcast.net) and Bobby Hire (856-7015 bobbyhire@yahoo.com) to volunteer a small bit of time to push for a change.

4) Talk to your friends and family members about voting for the challengers and why it is so important. This is a powerful way to help.

5) On May 4, if you haven't already done so, VOTE. Vote only for Natalie Coffey and Bobby Hire. The ballot will allow you to also vote for Cathy Wiseman in District 1. But, unfortunately, she is unopposed and should she remember to vote for herself, she will be reelected. The larger the difference between the votes Natalie and Bobby get over the votes of the incumbents, the louder the message that we're not going to take it any more. So, don't just vote to help the challengers win, vote to help them win by the widest margin possible.

In all of this, you must be registered to vote, in order to vote. The polling place locator is now up and working, and it checks your registration if you want to enter your birth date along with your address. You can also view sample ballots, check who your elected officials are, get directions and a map to the polling location, and much more. It's pretty neat, really. click here for Voter Information Portal Please note that you must click the button that says 'verify address' before the 'search' button becomes available.

When you vote, if you ask for a Democrat or Republican ballot - you will have to turn the ballot over to vote on the School Board race. So, silly as it sounds, remember to turn the ballot over. If you ask for the School Board ballot only, which you can do if you don't want to declare a party affiliation, it has only one printed side, so you're all set.

Two years ago, the Election Board website had a real time vote tabulation page. After the polls close, the election workers will do all their closing paperwork, count the paper ballots, and pull the smart cards from the voting machines. Then two of the workers bring the smart cards and all the other materials to the County Election officials. The smart cards are used to quickly transmit the info to the Election computers. It is really this data dump that is being shown on the tabulation page. I'll inquire if this feature will be available again this year, as it was kind of fun to use.

So, please add your suggestions now, as I know you'll come up with some great ones.