BEDFORD – Secretary of State Diego Morales hand-delivered an election improvement grant to the Lawrence County Voter Registration office Wednesday morning.
Lawrence County Clerk Amy Voorhies, election board members John Williams and Don Robertson, the office staff, and the commissioners worked together to secure the $20,308,21 grant.
“Thanks to Secretary of State Morales for allowing Lawrence County to apply for the grant money to meet our specific needs,” said Voorhies.
More than 60 Indiana counties will receive Federal Help America Vote Act grant dollars for local election improvement and security efforts. Statewide grants are valued at approximately two million dollars.
Secretary Morales will stop in Crawford, Dubois, Daviess, and Knox Counties today. In addition to today’s stops, Secretary Morales also visited Johnson County earlier this week. Since the start of the year, Secretary Morales has delivered grant checks to nearly 50 counties.
“These grants will help ensure our local counties are prepared for the 2024 elections quickly approaching. Each county utilizes these funds for its specific election improvement needs. I will never get tired of telling our county clerks thank you for their commitment to the Hoosier state,” said Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales.
The money will help streamline the 2024 Presidential Election in Lawrence County.
Community Outreach Booth: According to the 2007 Census for Lawrence County, we currently have 45,200 residents. Of those, 33,807 were registered voters, but only 11,627 participated in the last general election. We see the need for a constant presence in the community to help with voter outreach and education. Having a kit ready to set up at fairs, festivals, and expos would keep elections and the voter registration office front and center in the minds of our residents. This would also promote poll worker recruitment. Cost: $1,019.95.
Absentee Processing Equipment: Regular processing of absentee ballots and scanning voter registration forms are needed. Our one office clerk deputy is the only desk to process these forms. It would improve the workload flow here in the office, especially during the 2024 Presidential Election, if we all had access to this equipment at our desks. If our clerk deputy is out of the office, we are either taking over her desk, which involves resigning from all of the programs, or moving equipment, which is difficult. Cost: $2,489.16.
Election Equipment Storage Necessity: As many know, Microvote storage containers are expanding to VVPATs. This expansion adds greatly to the storage area needed. After input from our election board, county commissioners, and a local contractor, it was agreed that improving our voting process through additional storage space, including the necessary shelving for the machines, is necessary. Cost: $12,800.
Processing Citizens in the Office: Steve Broniarczyk, Protective Security Advisor for the Indianapolis District CISA Region 5 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, visited the office on October 4, 2023, and said a front counter is needed. Foot traffic in the voter registration office seems to be a security issue. He and local security officers have requested a counter be installed for security reasons. A local office supply store has supplied us with proposals for a counter to accommodate the recommendations. Cost: $3,800. The front door also needs to be replaced with a door with a window to allow the security team visual contact with employees inside the office. The cost: $200.
