In January, the St. Joseph County Clerk’s office received a nearly $50,000 grant to beef up security at the facility where the county stores its voting machines.
Now, Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes is seeking more state money to secure the building against possible attacks from “domestic violence extremists.”
St. Joseph County Commissioners on Tuesday gave Rolfes permission to apply for the grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Like the previous grant, the funding would go toward more security in and around the building where the voting machines are kept.
A letter submitted to commissioners says election personnel want to build a secure unit for the voting machines within the warehouse in addition to creating a secure workspace where the machines can be serviced. Election Board members have previously declined to tell reporters where the county keeps the machines.
The letter states the goal of the security measures is to guard against possible attacks on voting equipment by "domestic terrorists."
"A breach of the voting equipment storage facility by domestic terrorist[s] can result in tampering with, destruction of, or theft of election equipment," the letter said.
Rolfes said the grants represent her following through on a campaign promise.
“That was one promise that I made to the community was election security. This is just another layer of election security,” Rolfes said.
The impetus for concerns over the physical safety of the voting machine facility started last summer when federal Department of Homeland Security personnel examined the warehouse. The agency recommended the county increase security around the facility.
The state has a little over $4 million available to distribute, so it’s unclear how much money the county might receive.