Satellite Voting: What's the Big Deal?

Satellite voting (the practice of opening up satellite voting locations across the county in the several days preceding an election for in-person early voting) is, again, being made an issue with the Marion County Election Board. As the fall general election for municipal offices comes closer, the deadline to determine satellite voting locations looms as well. The Marion County GOP, being the well-oiled machine it is, can only one entire person to actually make their way to the board meeting. That person is Kyle Walker, the county GOP chairman. He says satellite voting is expensive and doesn't increase turnout. Well, the turnout part can kind of be seen as true, but I personally believe expensive is misleading.

If there's one thing government should spend an excessive amount of money on, it's voting. We should make it as easy as possible for people to cast votes. Many people don't work in the 9-5 world anymore. People hold multiple jobs that can have odd, or even unpredictable, hours. College students have classes that start as early as 7:30am or run late until 9pm. People are busy, and demand convenience. And one of those conveniences should be the ability to vote either early or on election day.

If anything, in-person early satellite voting should be encouraged. It's the mail-in absentee voting where fraud or even simple mistakes can occur.

On another note, noted county GOP apologist Ernie Shearer is quoted in the article as well, saying "We're sick and tired of you spending our money." Shearer must've forgotten that the Mayor Greg Ballard proposed and City-County Council (majority Republican) approved budgets, which he has fawned over, allocate money to the Clerk's office for satellite voting. He's barking up the wrong tree here. The Clerk's office doesn't get any money that it isn't specifically allocated in the budget.