Election Day Open Thread
The Polls Are Now Open!! (In the Eastern Time Zone of Indiana)
As many of us Directors and Contributors to Hoosier Access have many assorted duties on Election Day including poll workers, and preparing for the election results show after the polls close.
So we likely won’t be around much to provide updates throughout the day.
This is your Election Day 2008 Live Thread. It will run from 6 AM to 6 PM.
Let us know how your voting experience went, or if you noticed any shenanigans. You can email us tonight at Election2008 [AT] HoosierAccessRadio.com
If you see the post below, Steve Dalton will have updates on his blog with what shapes up to be a lot of good info from NW Indiana.
November 4th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I headed out the door at 6:10 AM to go cast my ballot. I arrived at the polling location just three minutes later (it’s just around the corner), and had to park at the Doctor’s office across the street because the school parking lot was full and cars were already lined up along the street.
The long line of waiting voters stretched outside the door, down the side of the building, across the parking lot, and began to wrap back around the parking lot.
After waiting twenty minutes in line outside, a poll worker came outside to announce that voters from my District could go inside and begin voting. There were apparently two Districts voting at the same location, and the bulk of the turnout was for the other District. Several of us walked around the line and entered the school, walked across the gym to our District polling area, and joined a much smaller line.
In less than ten minutes, I had ballot in hand, cast my vote for John McCain, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Greg Zoeller for Indiana Attorney General, Tony Bennett for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Gabrielle Campo for U.S. Congress, and others.
I have been a voter for two decades and have never had to wait in line to vote like I did today. This will surely be recorded as a record turnout in America. What does this say of our political climate today? I think it says that one side of the population wants to be a part of history while the other side wants to make sure that history doesn’t stand in the way of what’s best for the country. That’s my view, anyway, and probably the view of most voters who cast their ballots similar to mine.
History is a great thing. Being a part of history is a great thing. America is absolutely ready for the first Black (or is African-American the politcally correct term these days) or first female in the White House. More importantly, America is ready for the right person in the White House, and I encourage all Americans to cast their vote with their mind, not their heart.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I got in line at 5:50 this morning. I left the polling location at 6:45. This was not so much because of numbers (though there were a lot) but because people were taking forever to punch all the buttons that they needed to punch. (I prefer the paper, fill in the dot ballots in Indy to the MicroVote machines in Hamilton Co.)
There were certainly a lot there. The poll worker told me that 70 of the 700 registered voters were early/absentee voters through Friday. We will see an incredible voter turnout today. I just hope that Indy doesn’t turn out to have a 110% turnout.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I was pleasantly surprised, given my experience in the primary, that the general seems to be running so smoothly.
Beth White still needs to go, though.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
When is she up for re-election?
November 4th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I believe in two years.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:36 am
She is up again in 2010. Granted judging by the straight ticket 60-40 split in favor of obviously lesser qualified candidates, will be stuck with another four years of Beth White, or will the Dems jettison her for someone worse?
PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 590). 590 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL 697,559
BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL. . .374,088
VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL . .53.63
53% turnout? What I wonder is for such a “momentus” occasion for voting by the Democrats, where is the other 47%? Apparently these aren’t Dems.
Was a lesson just taught to the GOP by adding onto the losses of 2006?
November 5th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Well, I’m not sure that we are learning too well. I was watching one of the alphabet networks last night and the “Republican” was talking about how we needed to move to the left, etc. etc.
Now in 2010, there was not be a huge Democrat draw to motivate the electorate to get out. And since this seems to be the best election Beth has run, I think there is still room to run against her based on incompetence.