Unclear ballot wording reported to be common problem at polls

IDS Reports

With the polls closing in a matter of hours, the biggest reported problem coming from the polls is that the two public questions on the ballot are not written clearly.

“I guess it’s just legal language,” freshman Katie Swintz said. “I don’t study law. I don’t understand the professional lingo.”

Graduate student Sara Fry-Miller said if she hadn’t researched the public questions before showing up at Assembly Hall to vote, she wouldn’t have been able to understand them.

Voters will encounter the two questions at the end of the ballot.

The first is an amendment to Indiana’s Constitution that would place a cap on property taxes. The cap would be placed between 1 and 3 percent depending on the type of property.

Proponents of the amendment say it helps taxpayers by keeping taxes low and keeps government spending under control.

Opponents say the amendment is unnecessary because it is already a state law and is unfair to some taxpayers.

The second question is a referendum that would raise property taxes to help replace lost funds for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, the public school system for Monroe County.

Proponents say the money is needed to fix problems caused by a limited budget such as eliminated staffing positions.

Opponents say the problem is rooted in the way school budgets work in Indiana and that the state legislature should address the issue in the beginning of 2011.

Polling locations have seen a decent turnout though.

“We’ve had a consistent flow,” Julie Archer, a poll worker at Teter Quad, said. “We thought it’d be really slow, but it’s been better than expected.”

The polls will close at 6 p.m..

All voters must present photo identification when they arrive. Voters who registered in Indiana for the first time this election must bring proof of address.

Voters can look up their precinct’s voting location online at www.indianavoters.in.gov.