WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:12 — 2.2MB)
The Monroe County Election Board approved creating two new polling places in its February 1st meeting.
The Board is eliminating polling sites at the IU football complex and the IU union center in favor of one central polling site at the University Club. Board member Carolyn VandeWiele and William Ellis said a site visit proved the University Club is the best option for a central polling place.
The University Club Room will be a polling site for precincts Bloomington 5th, 18th, 19th and 23rd districts. Sandy Shapshay is the Director of IU’s Political and Civic Engagement Program. She says research indicates a central campus polling site is crucial to increasing student voter turnout.
According to Elections Supervisor Karen Wheeler, the First Church of the Nazarene will not be able to host voting in 2018. Wheeler and VandeWiele say the Academy for Science and Entrepreneurship replace the church as a polling site.
Clerk Nicole Brown thanked the First Church of the Nazarene for providing a polling site for many years. Brown, Ellis and VandeWiele expressed their hopes for strong voter turnout this Fall.
The next meeting of the Monroe County Election Board is scheduled for March 1st.
