Elections allow voters to fulfill civic duty

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by Todd Rokita | Sunday, November 04, 2007 | (1 comment(s))

I have had the privilege of serving as Indiana's chief election officer through five years of federal, state and local elections. It is encouraging with every election cycle to sense the energy that builds in Indiana as we near the first Tuesday in November, and it is important that we maintain the same level of enthusiasm for municipal elections as we do for federal elections.

On Tuesday, many counties will hold municipal elections. This is an important opportunity for citizens to select the officials whose decisions have the most direct impact on our communities. Local government plays a key role in determining how state and federal dollars are allocated for roads, schools and other special projects. They are the elected officials who are often the most accessible and the most knowledgeable about community-specific issues.

Fulfilling civic duty means more than voting every four years when the national spotlight shines on elections. It means staying informed about local issues, communicating with elected officials at all levels of government, paying attention to decisions they make, and holding them accountable by registering to vote and casting a ballot. Many Hoosiers also fulfill their civic duty by serving as poll workers -- an important job that plays an invaluable role in keeping elections free, fair, and in the hands of the people.

I challenge Hoosiers to embrace this fuller concept of civic duty as we approach the 2007 municipal elections. At the state level and in every one of Indiana's 92 counties, we have worked during recent years to improve the integrity of the voting process and to improve accessibility of voting systems and polling places. With the implementation of a statewide voter registration system linking all counties in real time, Indiana's photo ID requirement, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant polling places and modern voting systems, Hoosiers can cast their ballots with confidence that their votes will count and count equally with every other legitimate vote cast.

To check your voter registration or polling location, please visit www.IndianaVoters.com. Voters may also call the Hoosier Voter Hotline at (866) IN-1-VOTE or (866) 461-8683.

Employees of the Secretary of State's office will staff the telephone line between 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT on Tuesday and during normal business hours other days. For more information on Indiana's photo identification requirement, visit www.photoid.in.gov.

If you are able to volunteer to work the polls on Election Day, I encourage you to do so. In Indiana, it takes at least 30,000 poll workers to keep more than 5,500 polling places operating smoothly. It is truly a rewarding experience to see democracy in action. For information about serving as a poll worker, visit WorkThePolls.in.gov, or contact a local county election official.

See you at the polls.

Todd Rokita is Indiana's Secretary of State. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.

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Thank You Mr. Rokita wrote on Jan 12, 2008 8:12 AM:

" A big thank you goes to Secretary of State Todd Rokita for doing everything possible to clean up our voting system. I know the Demcrats will continue to fight and scream for their right to implement voter fraud, but thank God we have a good, honest man in place, in the person of Todd Rokita, to stand up for what is right. "

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