Few voting problems reported across Indiana

Election 2007

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November 6, 2007

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press Tue Nov 06, 2007, 09:16 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS — Those casting ballots across the state on Tuesday encountered few problems, with Marion County avoiding the unopened precincts it had during the May primary and two counties using centralized voting centers for their first general election, officials said.

"Indiana's poll workers deserve praise for a job well done," Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita said Tuesday. "Nearly all of the counties in Indiana holding elections today have experienced smooth elections, and that only happens when poll workers are committed to running fair, accurate elections."

Officials in Marion County reported three precincts opened late Tuesday, just a fraction of the county's 914 precincts. There were problems with some touch-screen voting machines, so paper ballots were used in those polling places until the machines were fixed.

Marion County Clerk Beth White said that the elections seem to go better than the primary.

"We're feeling so much better than we did in May," she said.

During that election, several Marion County precincts opened late, and five never opened. Officials estimated 3,000 people who were not able to cast ballots.

Voting elsewhere in the state also seemed to go relatively smoothly for the most part, officials reported.

Some problems developed later, though.

The tally was slowed in Tippecanoe County when the machine that counts votes from electronic voting cards developed problems Tuesday night, officials said. County Clerk Linda Philips said election workers were seeking technical support from the manufacturer.

Tippecanoe and Wayne counties are part of a pilot project that allows voters to cast ballots at centralized polling places rather than having to go to their traditional precincts.

People were coming from all over Richmond to vote at the community center that was one of the city's four voting centers, said Karl Sharp, a Republican election inspector at the center.

He said it was difficult to say whether the voting center concept would help improve turnout.

"We don't have anything to compare it to," Sharp said. "Four years ago we had 31 places that people could vote. We've been steady all morning. And I think the majority of people like it."

In Anderson, federal officials monitored elections after more than 20 people filed election fraud and accessibility complaints from the May primary. An attorney from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division was on hand to monitor voting.

"I'm thrilled they're coming in," said Barbara Hutton, a Republican member of the Madison County elections board. "We're proud of how we run our elections. We have nothing to hide."

All voting sites in Madison County opened on time Tuesday, said county Clerk Ludy Watkins. Some voting machines were set to the wrong time, a problem that was easily fixed, and some poll workers needed clarification on their duties.

"Everybody is up and voting," Watkins said. "We have had some little glitches but everything is going good."

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