VALPARAISO | In the wake of the busy presidential election, Porter County Clerk Pam Fish plans to ask the county council tonight to hire two new election employees and shift others around to comply with state election laws and to meet the growing demands ahead.

The proposal calls for taking two of the four employees from the voter registration office and placing them under the control of the county election board along with two new employees, Fish said. This group would be charged with administering elections, she said.

The two remaining full-time employees at the voter registration office, who had been running the elections, would focus exclusively on registration issues, she said. Those two positions would continue to be appointed by the chairs of the local Republican and Democratic parties.

This is the arrangement called for in state law on behalf of any county with a population of more than 125,000, Fish said. Porter County has about 160,000 residents.

In addition to bringing the county into compliance with state law, Fish said the proposed changes are needed to meet the demands of local voters, who have grown in number over the past four years from 83,000 to 113,000.

The additional employees and separation of responsibilities will enable the county to process votes following an election and address the 26 precincts that have exceeded the optimal 1,200 voters each, she said. Those precinct lines need to be redrawn.

There is also a chance the county will have to administer one or more referendum elections next year, which is typically an off-year for elections, Fish said. The Porter Township School Corp. may request a referendum on its proposed $34 million high school renovation and addition project.

"It's physically impossible," she said of accomplishing the work without the proposed changes. "It's just not possible."

The county council meets at 5 p.m. Monday at the Porter County Administration Center, 155 Indiana Ave. in Valparaiso.