10:03 p.m.: Early voters have high turnout

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October 6, 2008

Last day for voter registration busy

By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer The Herald Bulletin Mon Oct 06, 2008, 10:03 PM EDT

ANDERSON — Election Day is almost a month away, but some Madison County residents took the chance to cast their ballots early.

Monday was the first day of in-person voting at the Madison County Government Center, an opportunity that will continue almost every day until Election Day on Nov. 4. Voters were asked to fill out an application for absentee ballot before entering the voting room and making their choices.

Some voters, like Paula Steen and Alaita Henderson, chose to vote early because they will be out of town or busy on Election Day. Others won’t be available because they will be working the polls the entire 12 hours they are open Nov. 4.

“I’m working the precinct,” said Doc Lawrence, who has volunteered as a poll worker in Precinct 5-1 for 40 years. “I just come here (to vote) whenever I can.”

As of about 2 p.m. Monday, the Madison County Clerk’s Office had seen 91 early voters, a significant increase over most years.

“Sometimes on the first day, we have only voted 10 people,” said Clerk Ludy Watkins, who passed out calendars with early voting times to promote in-person courthouse voting. “I just don’t want long lines at the polls and people standing in line because it’s going to be a big election.”

The close presidential election between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama not only is expected to draw large numbers of voters to the polls, but also helped bring a swarm of Madison County residents to the courthouse Monday on the last day to register to vote in November’s election.

As of 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Voter Registration Office had 2,071 voter registration applications to process, most of which had come in Monday and last Friday, said Lisa Roman, first deputy in voter registration for the Republican Party.

“We were overloaded even from Friday,” Roman said. “The counter has been nonstop today.”

Voter registration forms have been coming in in-person and by mail, as well as delivered by candidates and campaigns seeking to sign up more people to vote.

A resident’s application must be processed before he or she can vote, and all applications must be processed before the Oct. 15 deadline.

First-time voter Jake Peeples said he had been meaning to register to vote for a long time and hadn’t gotten around to it until Monday.

“I want to be able to complain,” Peeples said. “If you don’t vote, you don’t have reason to complain, and it’s just the right thing to do.”

Neal Watkins had never voted before either, but made the last-minute decision Monday after getting fed up with the current presidential leadership.

“I didn’t want another eight years of (President George) Bush,” Neal Watkins said, referring to McCain. “Everything just done went down since he got in office.”

The clerk’s office has mailed out about 2,400 mail-in absentee ballots since Thursday, the first day it was allowed to send them. While anyone can vote in person at the courthouse before the election, only those with special reason can vote by mail-in absentee ballot.

All ballots cast before the election will be locked away until they are counted on Election Day, Ludy Watkins said.

Schedule for voting in person at the courthouse before Election Day:

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday through October except Oct. 24 and 31, when hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 18 and 25 and Nov. 1

• 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 3

• 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 (Election Day) at polling locations

Voters may request to vote absentee by mail if they:

• Have a specific, reasonable expectation of being away from the county Election Day

• Have a disability

• Are at least 65 years old

• Have official election duties outside their precincts

• Are eligible under “fail-safe” procedures in the Indiana Code

• Are scheduled to work the entire 12 hours polls are open

• Are confined because of illness

• Care for someone confined because of illness

• Cannot vote in person due to religion or

• Are address confidentiality program participants.

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