Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 | 4:57 p.m.
After a new approach to municipal elections bumped up voter turnout in 2007, the Henderson City Council is being asked to reauthorize the vote center system for the 2009 elections.
In 2007, the City Clerk's office dropped the precinct approach to polling places and instead set up 15 vote centers throughout the city where any registered voter could cast a ballot.
City Clerk Monica Simmons said the centers are more cost efficient and caused a 2.2 percent increase in voter turnout — enough to warrant another go.
"It wasn't substantial, but it was significant enough that we know it's a good thing, and we've got a lot of positive feedback in our surveys," Simmons said.
The City Council will consider a proposal Jan. 6 to set up 15 vote centers for the municipal primary scheduled for April 7 and, if necessary, the general election scheduled June 2.
If approved, the plan would place 10 of the centers at the same locations as 2007 and move five others to improved locations that offer better parking and space, Simmons said.
The locations are at recreation centers, community centers and churches.
Though the vote centers would be a somewhat familiar site in 2009, Simmons is anticipating some firsts.
Because of budgetary concerns, Simmons said her office will likely not publish a voter guide for the municipal elections, but instead beef up the sample ballot with additional information.
She said she is also hoping to attract many of the first-time voters who were drawn out by the presidential election.
"We have a lot of new voters after the election in November, and we need to be very thoughtful as to how we let all those voters know how they can participate in municipal elections," she said.
Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or [email protected].
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