Published: September 21, 2007 06:39 pm         

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Prepare yourselves to vote

Process not easy, but you must plow ahead

TERRE HAUTE — Three out of every four years in Indiana, there is an election each spring and fall. These are important times when officials are selected for a wide array of government positions to represent the interests of the people.

The success of self-government is dependent on an active and engaged voting public, so one would think the voting process would be made as easy and accessible as possible.

In Indiana, however, that is not the case. In fact, the voting process in Indiana can be downright frustrating, especially if you’ve never voted here before, have recently moved your place of residence, or don’t currently possess a photo ID.

Case in point: If you are not yet registered to vote in Indiana, or you need to change your registration to reflect an address change, time is quickly running out if you intend to vote in upcoming municipal elections. The deadline to register or change your registration is Tuesday, Oct. 9. That’s nearly a full month before Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Why so early? That’s a good question with no good answer, other than “we’ve always done it that way.” With advanced technology, there is certainly no good reason for such an early registration deadline. Still, the practice persists.

The matter of the voter ID is another confounding issue that is a recent development. A few short years ago, the Legislature adopted a law, promoted by the Indiana Secretary of State and others in his political party, to require citizens to show an approved photo ID, such as a driver’s license, at their polling place before voting.

The purported reason for the law? Prevention of voter fraud, they say. Significantly, voter fraud of the type a photo ID would prevent has never been shown to be a problem in Indiana. On the other hand, the requirement serves as yet another obstacle that could keep voter turnout at troubling low levels.

There are other clunky features of our state’s voting system, including a requirement to vote in the precinct in which you are registered. If you happen to work elsewhere, you will have to find a way to get to your polling place within the specified hours, or go through the absentee voting process, which is itself daunting.

We must note that Vigo County has been contributing to the voter registration morass in recent years because of major renovations at the courthouse. The voter registration office conveniently located on the courthouse’s ground floor has been transplanted to an unmarked building at the northeast corner of Sixth and Wabash, directly across from First Financial Plaza in downtown Terre Haute.

Hint: The building formerly housed a drugstore, and later Nancy’s Downtown Mall (which has since relocated). The voter registration office will move back to the courthouse when renovations are complete. That day can’t come soon enough.

If you live outside Vigo County, you must register to vote by Oct. 9 in the clerk’s office of your county courthouse. If you have any questions about your registration, by all means contact the voter registration office or your county clerk.

While the state doesn’t always make it a convenient process, we encourage citizens to register and vote in all elections in which they are eligible. For the sake of good government, don’t let the obstacles throw you off track.