By Shari Frank, LWVBC President

Do you live in Nashville?  The Town of Nashville is having an election this year. 

I was shocked, surprised, dismayed to learn that the last town election had less than 20% turn out.  That means about 200 people chose the leaders for Nashville Town Council.  Yet there are around 1,200 voters in Nashville according to voter rolls shared by the Town Clerk in a recent Election Board meeting.  

Only those who live in town limits can vote.  There is always some confusion with county residents showing up to vote but finding they can’t because they aren’t in town limits.  But where are the thousand or so more residents who CAN vote?

Please read additional articles later in this newsletter, and if you live in town, plan your vote.  If you don’t live in town, remind your friends who do!

Note these important dates:

• Register to vote by October 10.Not sure you’ll vote?Hedge your bet and register anyway.

• Attend the candidate forum September 25at 6:30 pm at Town Hall.  Attend the Public Election Equipment test October 10.  Read on for more important deadlines.

What do you think we can do to increase the voter turnout in Nashville?  Let us know your ideas.  browncountylwv@gmail.com

• The minutes from the August 14 monthly meeting were approved.

• The LWVBC will host a voter registration table on Tuesday, September 19, partnering with the IGA and the Brown County Inn.  

• A candidate forum for the candidates running for Town of Nashville Council will be hosted by the League on Monday, September 25, beginning at 6:30 pm. The forum will be held at Nashville Town Hall and will also be accessible by Zoom. Please see the article in this newsletter for more information.

• Stop by the Nashville Farmer’s Market on Sunday, October 1, to say hello to League members who will be hosting a table during the market.

• A virtual training session – A Beginner’s Guide to Club Express – will be taught by League member Laurie Teal on Friday, October 6, from 11 am – 12 pm. If interested in attending, please contact Laurie at laurie@laurieteal.com.

• The next LWVBC business meeting will be Monday, October 9, 6:00 pm, via Zoom.

According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register.

You, your friends, and relatives (who live in Indiana) can register, check your registration, and preview your ballot at the state’s Voter Portal. 

LWVBC will host a voter registration table on Tuesday, September 19, partnering with the IGA and the Brown County Inn in Nashville, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Come see us there!

Attend the Nashville Town Council Candidate Forum.
Nashville residents and other interested citizens, the League of Women Voters of Brown County will host an in-person candidate forum for the candidates running in this year’s Town Council election. The forum will be held Monday, September 25, beginning at 6:30 pm at Nashville Town Hall, 200 Commercial Street Nashville, IN 47448 (limited seating). The forum will also be accessible via Zoom.

Go to Vote411.org for candidate positions in their own words and all your election information.

Attend the Public Test of Election Equipment scheduled for 10:00 am on October 3 at Nashville Town Hall, 200 Commercial Street, Nashville, IN 47448.

Register to Voteor update an address or name change by the deadline of October 10th. Go to www.IndianaVoters.gov  or call the Brown County Clerk at 812-988-5510 for information.

Vote Early in Person Absentee: October 11 to November 4. https://www.townofnashville.org/calendar-of-events?view=calendar&month=10-2023

Apply to vote absentee by mail by the deadline of October 26 if you are 65 or over or if you meet other criteria.  Go to www.IndianaVoters.gov.

The LWVBC board is looking for people committed to working to protect democracy.  

Would You Be Able To:

• The Election Board Plans to order ballots by 9/8 to receive by 9/18.Absentee mail in ballots start going out 9/23 for applications already received. 

•  As of 7/26/23, there are approximately 1,138 registered voters in Washington 2 which is the precinct designated for Town residents.  At a rough count reported, about 15 residences on the list might not be in the Town district based on the street addresses but appear so on the list.  

•  At the last Town election only about 200 people voted!  About 50 voted early. That’s less than 20% turn out.  

•  When using paper ballots (Ballot Card Voting Systems), the law requires the town to print in excess of 100% of the registered voters of the “inspector’s district”. Therefore about 1,500 ballots will be printed.  This law likely needs to be updated because the law now allows the Inspector to live outside the voting district for town, but still references that district even though it may not be representative of what is needed.  The Town Clerk-Treasurer and County Clerk will look at the numbers and possibly follow up on the Indiana Election Division advice to consult the Town attorney. 

•  The Town is working on putting up an Elections page on the Town website.  (It is now available: https://www.townofnashville.org/town-of-nashville-2023-town-election-information.) LWVBC presented a list of suggested information to put on the Website, including important deadlines and where to access forms.  Town Clerk-Treasurer’s office should have all voter registration forms and other forms available, though registration forms still must be turned in to the County Clerk. 

•  The process of turning in a completed absentee ballot was not yet discussed, e.g. where and when they can be dropped off in person

Summary from August Brown County Election Board meeting: The Brown County Election Board is meeting monthly on second Tuesdays, except the September meeting was held on Wednesday, 9/13, 2 pm. Important topics to follow:

• Reducing Early in-person Voting to the 10-day minimum allowed by the state, reduced from a month 

• Looking into Vote Centers which would allow a reduction in the number of polling locations.  Discussion including reducing to Five locations to start.  Planning to develop a study committee to review…..
  

Summary of September 13 Brown County Election Board meeting: The County is beginning a study committee to develop Vote Centers. The initial plan stated is to develop five Vote Centers (reduced from the current eleven precinct polling locations).  Locations will be determined in the four corners of the county, as well as a central location.

Pros in favor of adopting vote centers include reduced cost to the county as fewer poll workers will be needed and transportation of election equipment simplified; a voter would be able to go to any vote center to vote whereas with precinct polling places; a voter can ONLY go to the location assigned based on where they live.  

Concerns about possible negative impacts on switching to vote centers include whether the potential greater distance to a poll location might inhibit some from being able to vote; the method to handle different ballots for different precincts at all vote centers; and educating voters so they know where the new vote centers are located.

When the study committee is ready, they will hold a public meeting for input.  Schedule to be determined.  A tentative goal is to complete preliminary plans in time to be presented to the Brown County Commissioners and Brown County Council by their last meetings in December.  Both Commissioners and Council will have to approve the change.  If approved, it is not yet determined whether it can be implemented in time for the 2024 Primary, or possibly by the 2024 General Election.  Stay tuned. Next meeting October 17, 2:00 pm.

Donate or participate in a Fun Run November 4.

If you attended the LWV Pollinator Fest in July, you learned how important it is to continue fighting invasive plants and work to plant native habitat.  Indiana has a unique Initiative to spearhead this project with a fundraising event coming up November 4^th to help keep this initiative going.  

You may skip the run/walk registration if you just want to donate, create a fundraising team or if you want or know of a sponsor. The link is: Runnin' and Wranglin' 2023 (qgiv.com)

What is the Indiana Invasives Initiative? The Indiana Invasives Initiative (III) is a statewide project of the State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM). The III empowers citizens to address the negative impacts of invasive species. They work with people in every Indiana county to build long-term partnerships that address invasive species. 

The III builds county-level Cooperative Invasive Species Management (CISMAs) groups; trains and conducts landowner surveys; and hosts Weed Wrangles across the state. SICIM is the non-profit organization that runs the III. Their mission: protect, restore and enhance Indiana's landscapes by coordinating efforts to identify, prevent and control invasive species. With your help, Indiana is using this novel III project for healthy lands, waters and wildlife and it is working! 

Forty-five counties are part of the solution.  More information can be found at https://www.sicim.info. In Brown County: https://www.bcnwp.org/

September 15 – 17: Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year is celebrated with reflection, worship, and meals among family and friends. It is observed on the first and second days of the month Tishrei, the first month in the Jewish calendar.

September 24 – 25: Yom Kippur: Is one of the two main Jewish High Holy Days. Occurring on the 10th of the month of Tishrei, it focuses on repentance and atonement. Fasting and intense prayer are common during this religious observance.

In August, we welcomed Grier Carson, Library Director of the Monroe County Public Library, to discuss the library as a civic institution. Carson talked to our host, Jim Allison, about the library's role in a democracy and how it protects intellectual freedom and access to information for everyone without regard to their social status, gender, race, or religion. "The library has three goals," says Carson, "to provide equitable impartial access, to strengthen communications, and to improve people's lives."

U.S. Senator Todd Young 

Website: www.young.senate.gov
Phone: 202-224-5623
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorToddYoung

Address: 185 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510 

Governor Eric Holcomb 

Website: https://www.in.gov/gov/

Phone: 317-232-4567
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovHolcomb/
Address: Office of the Governor, Statehouse, Indianapolis IN 46204-2797 

Brown County Council

Gary Huett (President)                          David Redding (Vice-President)

Darren Byrd                                           Jim Kemp

Joel Kirby                                               Scott Rudd

Judy Swift-Powdrill                                 CountyCouncil@browncounty-in.us

Brown County Commissioners

Jerry Pittman, President (District 3) 317-966-1724 pittmanj@browncounty-in.us

Blake Wolpert (District 1)  317-371-5091 wolpertb@browncounty-in.us

Ron Sanders (District 2)  812-947-3504 SandersR@browncounty-in.us