Posted on October 29, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Starke County expects to have a total of 20 first-time poll workers this Election Day. During last week’s election board meeting, board member Peg Brettin said voters will notice some younger people working the polls, “Because many of the older people either, one, don’t want to do it anymore, or two, are deceased,” she explained. “So that’s one of the reasons why you’re going to see a lot of new people out there.”
To make sure all the new and returning poll workers are ready, a pair of training sessions have been scheduled for this week. The first will take place Thursday starting at 5:00 p.m. for inspectors and any poll workers wanting extra training on the voting machines, and starting at 5:30 p.m. for everyone else. It will be held in the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox. A second training session is scheduled for Saturday morning starting at 9:00 for inspectors and 9:30 for the rest of the poll workers in the courtroom on the third floor of the Starke County Courthouse.
Clerk Vicki Cooley and the rest of the election board ask poll workers to attend Thursday’s training session, if possible, “Since we have room there,” Cooley explained. “And we might even consider giving them cookies.” Election board members also encourage new poll workers to use the online training offered by the state, to familiarize themselves with the process.
Meanwhile, Cooley said her staff has been busy making sure the bags are packed with all the necessary forms, instructions, equipment, and other supplies that will be needed on Election Day, “Pencils, pens, masking tape, magnifying glass, sticky notes, screen wipes, erasers, glue stick, your rope – 50 feet, duct tape, extension cord and power strip, your red security seals for MicroVote machines.”
Election Day voting will take place on Tuesday, November 6 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.
Showing posts with label training session. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training session. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2018
Monday, April 30, 2018
Starke, Pulaski Election Boards Finalize Plans for Next Week’s Primary
Posted on April 30, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Final preparations are underway for next week’s primary elections. The Starke and Pulaski county election boards both have poll worker training sessions scheduled for this week.
Starke County Election Board President Harrison Fields wants to make sure all the first-time poll workers are ready. “I’m not really scared about this election, but I just know in my own mind that when that door opens at 6:00, you’ve got to have the people there to run it,” he said during last week’s election board meeting. “It’s got to go.” This week’s training sessions have already been finalized, but board members said it might be helpful to offer extra training for inspectors in the future.
The Indiana Election Division offers online training as a backup, but Pulaski County Election Board Member Laura Bailey says the system has some major flaws. “There are three sections that have no video that you’re supposed to be seeing and many of the others date back to 2005,” she said during last week’s election board meeting. “And so I sat there while somebody was going through the online training and made corrections and said, ‘Well, really it’s this,’ because laws have changed since then. And I think we need to communicate that with the IED and urge them to update it.”
Pulaski County Clerk Christi Hoffa says the electronic poll books’ operating systems have been updated, but the voter file will be downloaded closer to Election Day. Starke County Clerk Vicki Cooley was still waiting for some election materials to arrive, as of last Wednesday. “I called again on our books because I was getting very nervous about it,” she told election board members last week. “I even offered to saddle up my pickup truck and come down to Indy and get them. They said they would overnight them, and we should be receiving them no later than Monday [today].”
On Election Day, a representative from MicroVote will be in Starke County to handle any issues with voting machines. Pulaski County will save money by having local officials get some extra training from MicroVote ahead of time, according to Election Board Chair Jon Frain. “The purpose of the training is that MicroVote has a person that we can pay a large some of money to sit here all day with us on Election Day, and this is the same training they go through,” he explained. “And the last election we had, both in the primary and in the general election that year, whenever there was an issue, he called down to Indianapolis to MicroVote and asked the questions. So we’re going to get the same training and have the same access, but we’re saving the county money.”
Frain says the three election board members, a mechanic, two canvass board members, and IT Consultant Willie DeGroot will all attend the training. County IT Director Matt Voltz was apparently invited to attend, but Hoffa hadn’t heard back from him, as of last Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Starke County Election Board continues making sure the new Oregon Township Precinct 2 polling place is brought up to ADA standards. Board members noted that a ramp may have to be placed at one of the doors at the Koontz Lake Association Clubhouse, due to a gap between the concrete and the door threshold. Board members planned to take final measurements at the site last Wednesday.
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Final preparations are underway for next week’s primary elections. The Starke and Pulaski county election boards both have poll worker training sessions scheduled for this week.
Starke County Election Board President Harrison Fields wants to make sure all the first-time poll workers are ready. “I’m not really scared about this election, but I just know in my own mind that when that door opens at 6:00, you’ve got to have the people there to run it,” he said during last week’s election board meeting. “It’s got to go.” This week’s training sessions have already been finalized, but board members said it might be helpful to offer extra training for inspectors in the future.
The Indiana Election Division offers online training as a backup, but Pulaski County Election Board Member Laura Bailey says the system has some major flaws. “There are three sections that have no video that you’re supposed to be seeing and many of the others date back to 2005,” she said during last week’s election board meeting. “And so I sat there while somebody was going through the online training and made corrections and said, ‘Well, really it’s this,’ because laws have changed since then. And I think we need to communicate that with the IED and urge them to update it.”
Pulaski County Clerk Christi Hoffa says the electronic poll books’ operating systems have been updated, but the voter file will be downloaded closer to Election Day. Starke County Clerk Vicki Cooley was still waiting for some election materials to arrive, as of last Wednesday. “I called again on our books because I was getting very nervous about it,” she told election board members last week. “I even offered to saddle up my pickup truck and come down to Indy and get them. They said they would overnight them, and we should be receiving them no later than Monday [today].”
On Election Day, a representative from MicroVote will be in Starke County to handle any issues with voting machines. Pulaski County will save money by having local officials get some extra training from MicroVote ahead of time, according to Election Board Chair Jon Frain. “The purpose of the training is that MicroVote has a person that we can pay a large some of money to sit here all day with us on Election Day, and this is the same training they go through,” he explained. “And the last election we had, both in the primary and in the general election that year, whenever there was an issue, he called down to Indianapolis to MicroVote and asked the questions. So we’re going to get the same training and have the same access, but we’re saving the county money.”
Frain says the three election board members, a mechanic, two canvass board members, and IT Consultant Willie DeGroot will all attend the training. County IT Director Matt Voltz was apparently invited to attend, but Hoffa hadn’t heard back from him, as of last Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Starke County Election Board continues making sure the new Oregon Township Precinct 2 polling place is brought up to ADA standards. Board members noted that a ramp may have to be placed at one of the doors at the Koontz Lake Association Clubhouse, due to a gap between the concrete and the door threshold. Board members planned to take final measurements at the site last Wednesday.
Monday, January 22, 2018
North Judson Fire Department to Attend Training Session in Valparaiso
Posted on January 22, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Last week, North Judson Fire Chief Joe Leszek shared that the Fire Department will soon be attending a nearby training session.
At the most recent North Judson Town Council meeting, Leszek told members that the AMKUS and Task Force Tips Rescue Systems training center was recently installed in Valpo.
“We’re excited about that, Valparaiso Fire uses it for their training center.” Leszek said, “It gives us the capability to a lot of ventilation work and simulate cutting roofs and things like that indoors so we don’t have to do it outdoors right now at this time of year.”
Leszek explained that session will take about three to four hours. He said few local stations will help cover the area in their absence and some NJ Firefighters will be sticking behind to man the station.
The North Judson Fire Department will be attending the session on Sunday, January 28th.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Last week, North Judson Fire Chief Joe Leszek shared that the Fire Department will soon be attending a nearby training session.
At the most recent North Judson Town Council meeting, Leszek told members that the AMKUS and Task Force Tips Rescue Systems training center was recently installed in Valpo.
“We’re excited about that, Valparaiso Fire uses it for their training center.” Leszek said, “It gives us the capability to a lot of ventilation work and simulate cutting roofs and things like that indoors so we don’t have to do it outdoors right now at this time of year.”
Leszek explained that session will take about three to four hours. He said few local stations will help cover the area in their absence and some NJ Firefighters will be sticking behind to man the station.
The North Judson Fire Department will be attending the session on Sunday, January 28th.
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