As a presidential election looms in November, St. Joseph County election officials have won a state grant aiming to improve “election security.”
The county is receiving a $44,000 federal grant, awarded by the Indiana Secretary of State’s office, to implement new security measures in the building where the county stores its 1,000 voting machines year ‘round.
Republican County Clerk Amy Rolfes brought the grant idea to the county Election Board in October. On her motion, the board unanimously voted to pursue the grant.
That followed an assessment that a federal Department of Homeland Security official provided to the county. In August the consultant appeared before the board and said he was reviewing the county election system’s strengths and vulnerabilities, both physical and with cybersecurity.
The consultant made some recommendations, and one of them is to better secure the storage building. Chuck Leone is the Democratic member of the three-person county Election Board. For security reasons, Leone declined to say where the county keeps the machines, but he said he’s appreciated the consultant’s input.
"It was very helpful to have an outside set of eyes by someone who is skilled in doing security assessments," Leone says. "As we're doing the day-to-day business of running elections and maintaining the systems, you don't always look at how well-prepared you are for the things that you never expect to happen."
Rolfes, believed to be the county’s first-ever Republican clerk, just finished her first year in office.
In October she demoted some election supervisors for failing to properly sign envelopes that hold ballots that have been cast.
