Linn County auditor says satellite voting site too costly

Linn County voters have a choice of 13 early satellite voting locations leading up to the Nov. 2 general election. But county auditor Joel Miller hopes future sites generate a lot more interest.

The problem wasn't the location or the time of the first satellite site. The problem was almost nobody showed up, and the auditor wasn't happy about all the time, effort and expense for a handful of early votes.

The first satellite voting took place Monday at the River of Life Church on Blairs Ferry Road in Cedar Rapids.

Election workers were on site from noon until 6 p.m. But only 24 voters total took the time to cast a ballot at the church. That works out to almost $21 a vote, or seven times the cost per vote that the auditor paid for the last general election day in 2008.

"In fact, there was no one who showed up for the first 90 minutes when I walked in," Miller said. "I was expecting a few people to have been through. They informed me no one had been through. I was disappointed we take the time to set up a satellite location, and people petition to do that and we're required to do it once they present the petition to me, and no one shows."

Miller says it costs just a dollar per voter for those who show up at the auditor's office to cast an absentee ballot.

State law requires the auditor to set up a satellite voting center if people gather 100 valid petition signatures requesting it.  The only exceptions are locations requested that don't meet handicapped accessibility rules or locations where the owner won't give permission for satellite voting.  As a rule, Miller said church locations typically draw far fewer early voters than other public spaces like libraries or grocery stores.

The Linn County Auditor said auditors statewide have talked about tightening the satellite voting rules, perhaps requiring 500 signatures, to insure groups that ask really do intend to use it.  But Miller said it's unlikely state lawmakers would agree to any rule change that appears to cut voting opportunities-even if it costs much more than normal.

County records show the cost of voting in a general election, on election day, has ranged from $1.53 per vote in 2000 to $3.11 per vote in 2008.

The auditor hopes groups who requested the upcoming satellite voting locations use the opportunity rather than let it go to waste. The next satellite voting opportunity is Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Marion Public Library.

There is also a satellite location set for Wednesday, Oct. 6 at the Wilson Avenue Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids from 6 p.m. until midnight.  The last satellite voting opportunity is set for Oct. 21 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Marion.