Early Voting in Indiana Begins

[usregimechange]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Dozens of people lined up to vote at polling centers across the state on the first day for early voting in Indiana.

Boone County Clerk Penny Bogan says 40 people voted by noon Monday at the courthouse in Lebanon.

About a dozen voted by 9 a.m. in Hamilton County, and another dozen lined up to vote at the Marion County clerk's office in Indianapolis.

Monday was the first day for early and absentee voting, which continues until noon Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 4.

http://www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/story.aspx?content_id=ad3f659c-3abd-4fec-b892-884984f26300

[furgee]

1. Indiana may be ripe for Dems

I don't live in Indiana but in todays Chicago Sun Times Carol Marin wrote how McSame might have to really work to keep this state.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1208343,CST-EDT-carol08.article

There is one thing she wrote that I was wondering about.

McDermott knows Republicans in the state are worried. Three lawsuits, two in circuit court, one in federal court, are challenging early voting in the very precincts that are likely to go Democratic. Those precincts are where a preponderance of African-American and Hispanic voters live. While voters in mostly white Crown Point were able to begin early voting Tuesday, citizens in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago were still battling to do the same.

Has early voting started in those areas or are they still fighting for the rights?

[AlwaysDemocrat]

2. Voted today in Monroe County

I went around noon. There were around 30 people in line ahead of me and a steady stream during the time I was there.
The clerk said its like that every day.

[gardentoad]

3. Please tell people

that if they wait untill Nov. 4th to vote that it may not be at the place they voted in the primary.

http://www.votersuppression.org/page/Indiana+Poll+Location+Changes:+No+Notice+To+Voters?t=anon

another link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/20/164340/529/212/604905

[Faeya]

4. Not so secret ballot?

Well, I can't make my own threads yet, so I figured this was the closest thread to what I wanted to say...

I went and early voted today in Danville (Hendricks County). There were probably about a dozen other people who came to vote while we were there. They used the machines that have the names on the screens with the buttons along the sides, but the screen showed clearly which candidate you chose. However, before I could vote, there was a sticker put on my absentee form that I had to fill out with a 4 digit # on it, and that number was typed into the computer so that "If someone dies between now and the election, we can take their vote out of the machine." I guess that makes sense, but I still think that makes it not a very secret ballot. The other problem I had was that there were no receipts whatsoever.

But, for good or ill, I'm done voting. GO OBAMA!

[PVnRT]

5. Uhhhhh what?

No such animal in Vigo County...something smells fishy about that to me.

[Faeya]

6. *shrugs and sighs*

That's what I thought too, but the guy said it was a "look up number" because they had to be able to take the vote out of the results if the person died...I watched him key it in and saw the sticker on the absentee form. And it wasn't on a separate part of the form or anything...They put in the card to turn the machine on, punched in the number off the sheet, selected my precinct, then pulled out the key card so I could vote.

I need to go make some posts so I can post this on my own in the election forum or something...

Edited to add: Since you said that they did NOT do that in Vigo county, I went ahead and dropped a line to the Obama vote protector people about it, just so they could check into it. :)

[Myrina]

7. Update from the Star (take it for what it's worth) ...

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081028/NEWS0502/810280379

Thousands of Hoosiers are pouring into early-voting sites, surpassing the number of voters requesting mail-in ballots in some counties and setting records across the state. In Marion County alone, about 80,000 voters -- either through in-person voting
or by mail-in absentee ballot -- are expected to vote before Election Day, nearly three times as many as in 2004.

Statewide, more than 286,000 Hoosiers had voted by Sunday evening. In 2004, 260,550 Hoosiers voted early. A record 4.5 million
voters are registered in Indiana this year, and Secretary of State Todd Rokita has encouraged early voting to ease congestion
on Election Day.

As of Monday evening, 32,713 voters in Marion County had cast their ballots in person, while 25,625 others had requested ballots
to mail in their votes.

more at link ...


Friends of mine went to the site on the North side Sunday, said the wait was about an hour.
I went there yesterday evening and the line was out the door, down the sidewalk and around the building.
Went back this morning, prepared to stand in a cold line, and had about a 50 minute wait.


:) Blue Indiana for 2008? :patriot: