Indiana State among 17 vote centers for May 3 primary

Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·2 min read

Jan. 28—Indiana State University is among 17 vote centers for the May 3 primary election following a unanimous vote Friday of the Vigo County Election Board.

The university in August, 2021 was not on a preliminary list of Vigo County vote centers for the 2022 elections.

Groups — including ISU officials — have since voiced support to the county election board for a campus vote center.

"ISU is absolutely interested in continuing to serve as a voting center," Mark Alesia, director of university communication, told the Tribune-Star on Wednesday.

The university's Student Government Association along with the State for American Democracy Project also advocated for the university vote center, as well as the Greater Terre Haute Branch of the NAACP, Indiana Nasty Women of Vigo County and the Social Action Committee of the First Unitarian Congregation.

The board also gave preliminary approval to the Vigo County School Corp. referendum question that will appear on the May 3 ballot.

The approval is procedural, prescribed by law, and next goes to the Department of Local Government Finance for review.

Once the DLGF completes its review, it sends its recommendation back to the county election board, which must give final approval to ballot language by Feb. 18.

"It's a state prescribed question we wish could speak more to what this action means to our voters," Superintendent Rob Haworth told the board.

The $260 million referendum would be used to build new academic facilities and renovate non-academic facilities at North, South and West Vigo high schools and would include West Vigo Middle School, which is adjacent to the high school.

----For voting, the board approved a vote center plan for 2022 elections. It includes 17 sites.

In that plan, there are:

—Two vote centers that open 28 days prior to the primary election. Those are the Vigo County Annex and Haute City Center mall.

—Five additional vote centers open one week prior to the election. Those sites are The Meadows, International Union of Operating Engineers, Vigo County Solid Waste Management, Vigo Schools Public Safety Security Center at 501 W. Olive St. in West Terre Haute and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local No. 725.

—Ten additional vote centers will be open on May 3. Those include ISU, the Indiana National Guard armory, Pimento Fire House, Maryland Community Church, Vigo County Public Library, Booker T. Washington Chances and Services for Youth-CASY, American Legion Post No. 104, Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local 157, New Goshen Fire House and Sandcut FireHouse.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.