In an emergency meeting Wednesday, the Delaware County Clerks office reached a decision to fill the vacant position on the Board of Voter Registration to help with the influx of newly registered voters.
However, Democrats and Republicans disagree on the necessity of filling the position.
The Clerks office held the meeting in response to more than 1,300 voting registrations brought into the office on the April 7 deadline. Despite being short staffed since 2006, the voter registration board must prepare the new registrations for the May 6 Indiana primary.
According to Indiana State Statute, the positions on the voter registration board must be evenly split among Democrats and Republicans. The Delaware County Council added two extra appointees to each party. The Republican party didn't fill one post in the 2006 city elections.
Tom Bennington, Delaware County Republican vice chairman, said the Delaware County Republicans had submitted a name for the position and, barring a drug screening, the spot would be filled by Monday. But Elections Board President Phil Nichols said the Elections Board was prepared to fill the position if necessary.
Even with the emergency meeting, Nichols said it remained to be seen if the filled position would be enough to process the registrations.
"I think that the personnel already there will work whatever hours needed to complete the task," Nichols said. "The Republican party chairman refused to appoint the position, which meant a bigger workload for everyone else. We know when a presidential election year is coming long enough in advance to know it will be busy. Had [Delaware County Republican Chairman Kaye Whitehead] done what the process said, then none of this would have happened."
Whitehead is on a business meeting and could not be reached for comment.
Bennington said the Democratic party chairman told him that everything was fine with three members, until the last swell of registrations were brought in at deadline.
Despite the state statute, Bennington said the meeting today didn't change anything.
"I think the problem would be worked out regardless," Bennington said. "The meeting today did nothing but take three workers out of their offices."
Delaware County Clerk Steven Craycraft said about 50 members of the Muncie community, half of which were Ball State University students, came to the meeting to voice their concerns.
"There were many Ball State students there concerned about their vote, but I believe that with the spot filled we have the problem taken care of," Craycraft said.
After the meeting, Bennington said a fight broke out, but he did not know who the fighting members were. The fighters were a separate incident and not related to the meeting, he said.
Getting past the partisan divide, Bennington said the amount of voters registered was something to be excited for.
"I applaud the people who registered the 1,300 voters," Bennington said. "I think they deserve an 'attaboy' and a pat on the back. Because of their efforts, a lot of people will have a chance to vote."
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