Porter County received a federal grant that will be utilized for local election improvement efforts on Tuesday, January 2.
The grant was distributed by Secretary of State Diego Morales, who will be visiting county election officials in Porter, Lake, Starke, Jasper, White and Benton Counties. This trip marks the second round of visits for Secretary Morales statewide.
Sundae Schoon, Director of Elections & Voter Registration in Porter County, discusses how the funding will help upcoming election efforts.
“We’re aiming for voter engagement and education,” Schoon said. “We’re going to use the grant to get some professional videos done on how to use our voting equipment. It’s exciting because the videos are going to help revamp our website and make it much more user friendly to find information.”
Porter County is receiving $27,000 from this grant. Schoon is hopeful that these efforts can not only educate the voters, but also incentivize them. Voter engagement remains the top priority.
“It’s very important for everyone to play a part in election efforts,” Schoon said. “Everything down the school board affects our lives. Our primary election had about a 10% voter turnout and 23% for our most recent election. We believe that by getting people more educated on the election process and with our new equipment, it will help people feel less intimidated to come out and vote.”
One way that Porter County is looking to boost voter engagement for upcoming elections is by creating a campaign throughout local schools. Jessica Bailey, Porter County Circuit County Clerk, believes allowing every individual to contribute in their own way will serve as a beneficiary in the long run.
“The goal is to help voters understand how to use the equipment without having to ask for assistance,” Bailey said. “We’re going to reach out to students in the community and allow them to design ‘I Voted’ stickers. We will vote on it using our equipment, then pass out the sticker that is voted on for Porter County.”
Along with the strategic efforts to provide a better experience for the election process, the Porter County Elections & Registration office has a new location. The office moved to 155 Franklin St. in late December.
“Having the street view for the office is going to make it much easier to find,” Bailey said. “We feel that this will help make it more accessible for the general public to come in and register to vote or ask questions about the election process.”
Porter County believes that this grant will give them the opportunity to assist the residents in the most convenient way possible.
“Without the community and without these grants, we wouldn’t be able to do things that help innovate the office,” Schoon said. “We strive on being very frugal with our budget to bring about ideas that make the people of Porter County feel comfortable. This is going to make it easier for everybody to play their own part. We’re excited for the impact it will have moving forward.”
According to Bailey, filing starts on January 10. Annual reports are already being accepted from anybody who has an open committee.
To learn more about general election information in Porter County, you can visit their website.