Greentown Holds Election

   Normally, a town election would not be of particular importance unless there were one or more hotly contested seats.  The Greentown election of November 8 was notable for other reasons.  First, it was the first town election since 2003.  Normally there is a local election every 4 years, but no election was required in 2007 because all 5 council seats and the Clerk-Treasurer office had only one applying for each position. 
   Secondly, the 2011 election was notable for the low voter turn-out, perhaps the lowest in history, although we don’t have data for all past years.  Out of 1,763 names in the poll books, only 113 voted in this election.  Four of those voted with absentee ballots.  That puts the voter turnout at about 6.5%.  The Grapevine reported the 1995 voting results as 251 voting out of a pool of 1,308, or a little more than 19%.  Ironically, we called that a “low turnout.” 
   Informal quizzing of people who did not vote this year yielded the following: At least one person went to the Performing Arts Center, where primary and general elections are held.  One didn’t know there was an election going on (humbling to the Grapevine, as we put it on the front page in October and November).  One “meant to,
just didn’t get it done.”  One can’t walk well and didn’t know about the possibility of absentee ballot.  One person we talked to is not registered.  Some said they couldn’t get excited about an election when there was only one seat to vote on and that neither candidate seemed to make themselves known.  The only position on the ballot was for Clerk-Treasurer, as all 5 Council seats were unopposed.       Even though Indiana now has a photo ID requirement in order to vote, a few people who were known by the Judges were not asked for their ID, just to confirm their address.  Election Board Chairman, Larry Hinesley, said he had read in the Guidebook that there was an exception for towns of 3,500 or less.  Dale Simmons at the Indiana Secretary of State office, disagrees and said that everyone should have been asked for photo ID.  If unavailable, a provisional ballot is to be issued and the voter has a certain amount of time to present a photo ID.  To appreciate the complexity of the job of the Election Board, readers may want to try their hand at  interpreting the law,  IC 3-11-8-25.1. 
   The cost to the town to hold this election was $546.00.  The inspector was paid $125.00.  Two judges were paid $100.00 each.  Printing cost was $146.00.  Catering expense was $75.00.  Kim Wilson, Howard County Clerk, estimated that if the county had managed the election, it would have cost about $3,300.  The Greentown Town Council adopted a Resolution to operate their own election, otherwise it defaults to the county.
   There will be an election in November 2013 for the Council seats in Wards 4 and 5.