ANDERSON — A story in a Michigan newspaper has Democrats up in arms over rumors that Republicans are planning to use foreclosure lists to challenge the votes of homeowners who’ve lost their homes.

As rumors of foreclosing on voters trickle down to Indiana, Madison County officials maintain that displaced voters have nothing to worry about.

Loretta Manley of the county voter registration office said election rules are flexible when it comes to foreclosures. “When they call in and they say that they’ve moved because they no longer live in their own precinct, I tell them they can go back to their old precinct one more time.”

If a voter moved out of their own precinct after the Oct. 6 voter registration deadline, Manley said, the person can return to the old precinct for one final vote if he or she fill out a form at the polling place informing the election board of their new address.

Those who’ve moved out of the county can cast provisional ballots, she said.

In mid-September, The Michigan Messenger printed an article that quoted Republican Party Chairman James Carabelli saying that the GOP was planning to use foreclosure lists against voters. “We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” Carabelli reportedly said.

Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee sued the Michigan Republican Party last week, claiming that Republicans were using the lists to challenge votes of low-income voters likely to support Democrats.

Lawsuits were also filed in Florida and Indiana by Democrats who wanted to keep Republicans from silencing voters.

Last week, the Indianapolis NAACP filed suit against Marion County Election Board in hopes of keeping Marion County Republicans from using foreclosure lists to challenge voter eligibility.

Within two days, the suit was settled and it was determined that challenging votes based on foreclosures was illegal.

“The judge ruled on the side of the voters,” said Lauren Smith of the Indiana Democratic Party.

Smith called the foreclosure eligibility practice “absurd” and said that the GOP in Indiana may have employed the tactic if the ruling had not been made. “We actually had the Marion County Republican Chair Tom John at one point said they had planned to, and just like in Michigan, there was a lawsuit.”

While Marion County officials juggled rumors about foreclosures and voters, Madison County election officials maintained that voters were not at risk.

Jim Gavin of Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s office said last week’s ruling made certain that all votes would be counted, even those cast by homeowners who had experienced foreclosure.

“I’d hope that everyone who is eligible to vote on either party is able to vote. That’s what the election is all about,” said Madison County Democratic Party Chairman Ron McNabney.

Jay Kenworthy of the Indiana Republican Party said the Indiana GOP didn’t intend to challenge votes in such a way. “We don’t intend to take any actions of that kind with the foreclosure lists. We’re always on the lookout for fraudulent voting and funny business at the polls.”

Smith said the GOP was continuing in its “blatant, desperate attempts to disenfranchise voters.”

According to news reports, Republican officials went to Marion County Circuit Court on Tuesday claiming that training given to those who check absentee ballots was not sufficient. The judge subsequently ruled that absentee ballots that have been challenged would be examined later in the week, essentially becoming provisional ballots.

Absentee ballots must be signed so that election officials can compare them with signatures on voter registration cards. The GOP contended that poll workers were not trained well enough to challenge signatures and ensure accurate counting.

Marion County election officials at the center of the storm have said poll workers are trained according to state law.

According to Gavin, 455,035 absentee ballots had been submitted statewide on Friday.





Hoosier voting by the numbers

• Total registered voters: 4,513,601

• New voter registrations since 2006: 525,264

• New voter registrations in 2008: 345,582

• New and updated registrations: 818,091

• Absentee ballots cast so far: 455,035