Voter turnout strong, but down from 2008 numbers

Clark County

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November 7, 2012

Voter turnout strong, but down from 2008 numbers

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Wed Nov 07, 2012, 12:48 AM EST

> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Strong turnout was expected in both Clark and Floyd counties for the General Election and Hoosiers turned out in droves to cast their ballots for president, governor, senator, as well as a number of local races.

But, it was down somewhat from the 2008 presidential election.

Clark County Clerk Barbara Bratcher-Haas said it was the heaviest voter turnout that she has seen since she has served as clerk.

“There’s lines everywhere,” she said.

Despite the perception the voter turnout in the 2008 election, the last presidential election, saw Clark County voter turnout slightly higher at 69 percent. Of 80,521 registered voters, 55,958 people cast their ballots and 13 percent of which voted absentee.

In the 2012 general election 53.9 percent of registered voters, or 47,806 of 88,631 registered voters, cast a ballot. A total of 6,723 of those ballots were absentee.

For Floyd County the numbers were similar, with 2008’s figures slightly higher. Voter turnout reached 65 percent in 2008 with 37,254 people casting ballots out of 57,614 registered voters. Absentee votes accounted for 19 percent of the total voters. In 2012 turnout among registered voters in Floyd County totaled 63.5 percent, with 35,819 people casting votes.

There were also several issues with Clark County returning their vote totals, including delays for some waiting in lines for ballots.

“Rock Creek — in Sellersburg — ran out of ballot s and before we got there [with more ballots] they were lined the length of the gym four times,” Bratcher-Haas said.

The Jeffersonville High School polling location also experienced a temporary power outage.

When the ballots were finally returned to the Clark County Government Building, issues stalled vote totals from being counted because there were technical difficulties with the machine that reads the tapes to tabulate the votes from each precinct.

The final vote totals from the county were returned at 11:05 p.m.