Published: October 06, 2008 11:30 pm            

ELECTION '08: With a minor glitch, satellite voting begins

TERRE HAUTE — Despite a few technical glitches, Vigo County satellite voting began Monday, with about 320 people casting their ballots at four sites by midafternoon.

The sites remained open until 6 p.m.

County Clerk Pat Mansard said there were a few computer problems the first day of satellite voting, particularly at the Southland site.

“This is a new system that we’re using and I know information technology people are working on it,” she said early Monday afternoon.

The new system expedites the process in looking up a voter’s registration by computer. “It helps us to get people through quicker,” Mansard said. Staff were trained Saturday.

By Monday afternoon, everything was running smoothly at all sites, Mansard said.

As of mid-afternoon, 320 people already had voted at the satellite sites: 112 at The Meadows shopping center, 83 at Plaza North (old theater location); 71 at Southland Plaza and 54 at Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library.

Satellite sites open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays until Nov. 1.

The ISU location will not be open on Saturdays or on Friday. All sites will be closed Monday in observance of Columbus Day. Each site is clearly marked and handicapped accessible. Photo identification is required.

“We have worked very hard to get the sites set up,” said Mansard, who is asking people to be patient. “We’re doing all we can to get the first-day wrinkles ironed out.”

The goal is to make it more convenient for people to vote, Mansard said.

She noted that people who have just registered should wait until they receive confirmation in the mail to vote at a satellite site. Voter registration is not instantaneous in Indiana, she said.

Debbie Kirk, director of the Vigo County Voter Registration Office, said there is a seven-day window before the registration is activated.

In registering, a prospective voter files an affidavit, which the Voter Registration office must log into the system.

That, in turn, generates an acknowledgment that goes to the prospective voter’s address. “The law requires you receive it before you become registered … to verify that you live here,” Kirk said.

If people do have the confirmation and want to vote at a satellite site before the seven days are up, Kirk said her office can override the system and activate the registration.

Monday was the last day to register to vote in Indiana for the Nov. 4 election, and many people decided to take advantage of the last-minute opportunity. At 4 p.m., people were still in line waiting to register outside the Voter Registration office, Kirk said.

She didn’t have an exact number late Monday afternoon but estimated it could be several hundred.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.



TURNOUT

• As of mid-afternoon, 320 people had already voted at the satellite sites: 112 at Meadows Shopping Center, 83 at Plaza North (old theater location); 71 at Southland Plaza; and 54 at Indiana State University Cunningham Memorial Library.

        

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