Penny Giddens, a member of the Monroe County Election Board, told the board on Oct. 2 that nearly 400 provisional ballots were cast in the Nov. 2024 election and that almost 85% of those ballots were rejected. She said many provisional ballots originated at a single location, the Indiana Memorial Union, and that large numbers of ballots were rejected because voters were registered outside Monroe County or went to the wrong polling place.
Giddens said the rejected ballots represented more than 300 attempts to vote and urged improvements in voter education and poll-worker training so those votes count in future elections. “I think it’s unfortunate that their votes didn’t count,” Giddens said during the meeting, and she urged outreach to new voters and campus residents.
Clerk staff and Election Central staff described prior outreach efforts targeted to Indiana University students, national voter registration activities on campus, and in‑person registration tables. Clerk Nicole Brown said the office had repeatedly encouraged students to “vote where you sleep,” but reminded the board that students often leave their home‑county registrations in place and then must request absentee ballots from their home jurisdictions. Kylie Perez, who gave the Election Central update, said the office is developing a Civic Student Network and other programs to give students hands‑on experience with ballots and voting equipment before they cast official ballots.
Giddens moved to reopen discussion of vote centers and to hold two public hearings to reconsider using vote centers for 2026 elections; she proposed the hearings be held at least 28 days from the meeting but prior to Nov. 14, 2025. Board members noted that the Indiana Secretary of State is holding statewide hearings on vote centers and that the Secretary’s guidance or legislative action could affect local plans. Another board member moved to table Giddens’ motion pending additional information from the Secretary of State; that motion was seconded and the chair said he would contact the Secretary of State’s office for an update.
Board members also raised equipment and staffing problems that contributed to provisional issues, including two ballot scanners at one location that did not function properly in 2024 and cases where only one worker staffed the ballot deposit box. Members discussed expanding pre‑election testing beyond the state minimum and increasing training for poll workers.
The board did not adopt a new policy on vote centers at the meeting; members instead agreed to check for state guidance and to consider using the existing vote‑center plan that was developed earlier this year if state action allows. The board asked staff to report back at a future meeting with outreach plans targeted to college students and other groups that produced high provisional counts.