Some Indiana Counties Closed Two-Thirds Of Their Polling Places Ahead Of Record Turnout Election Day

[Playinghardball]

Mary Lyons hands out registration forms as voters line-up to cast their early votes at the City-County Building in Indianapolis.

Some 4 million Indiana voters are expected to head to the polls today in record numbers, as the state takes an unexpected spotlight in a primary where candidates in both parties are fighting it out until the bitter end. The state has already seen extremely high turnout in early voting; over 50 percent more people have cast early ballots than when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went head-to-head in 2008.

Yet several factors could cause chaos at the polls on Tuesday. The state is only keeping sites open until 6 p.m., which could pose difficulties for people who cannot leave work until 5 p.m. or later. Many other states keep their polls open until at least 8 p.m. And unlike some other states, Indiana has no laws requiring employers to give their workers time off in order to vote.
Indiana also has an open primary, in which registered Independents can vote for any candidate they choose, which may lead to even higher turnout and longer lines. Some counties already had lines at the door when the polls opened at 6 a.m.
Yet despite the anticipation of long waits, some counties in Indiana have also followed Arizona’s lead in slashing the number of polling places. In Wells County, which has the highest turnout rate in the state, officials cut the number of available voting sites from 15 to five.

Though most issues are expected at the end of the day, when people try to vote after work, some problems have already popped up. A polling place in South Bend, Indiana was shut down for a little over an hour during the morning rush after police received a call about a suicidal individual nearby.

More here:http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/05/03/3774740/indiana-voting-issues/

[Jackie Wilson Said]

1. GOP plans on stealing the upcoming election, I hope everybody knows that? Do you?

[dchill]

5. Picture an ostrich with the head of Alfred E. Neuman.

[bahrbearian]

14. And Hilary will look the other way.

[Ferd Berfel]

36. ....just like Gore and the DNC did

[WhiteTara]

41. Hillary SUED in Arizona!

Why don't you try being fair minded.

[Melissa G]

55. Her suit helps her control the outcome.

All hat, no cattle.

[bkkyosemite]

2. I have said it all over this forum. This election is rigged...15 down to 5

[hrmjustin]

3. I never understood why Indiana and Kentucky close their polls at 6.

We close our polls at 9 in NY.

[NWCorona]

6. Voter disenfranchisement

Some want low turnout

[floriduck]

8. Yes and you stop voter registrations after the first debate before people know their candidate. nm

[JudyM]

26. Garbage in, garbage out.

[floriduck]

47. Wrong again. 6 months prior to the NY primary, there had been 1 debate. nm

[JudyM]

50. Wrong in what way?

[ieoeja]

33. So the bars can open. Indiana bars not allowed to operate while the polls are open. n/t

[moriah]

49. Seriously????

Oh c'mon, this ruins the "drink heavily after" party unity strategy in the GE...

Seriously???

[ieoeja]

57. Unless they have changed the law since I lived in Indiana. n/t

[FSogol]

56. Honest to goodness, the bars weren't open this morning They must have been voting for a new

president of something...

[WhiteTara]

43. Aren't they eastern time? That would make it 7pm

[hrmjustin]

44. Split time zone state.

[WhiteTara]

45. Wow! Who lives like that?

It must be a nightmare! Wake up at 6 and it's really 7? Wake up at 7 and it's really 6? I would go crazy.

[Ace Rothstein]

54. The NW part of IN is very tied into Chicagoland.

That's why they are on Central Time.

[Travis_0004]

53. Early voting opens 29 days before the election

I agree with you that 6 is a bit early, even 7 would be a huge improvement. But you do have 30 days to vote.

[jwirr]

4. Down with the Party Establishment.

[AzDar]

7. Let's FACE IT: Some here do not CARE that this is happening, because it benefits ONE candidate...

But the proverbial shoe will be on the other foot should their candidate prevail in the primary, and this happens to THEM in the GE...


None Blinder Than Those Who REFUSE To See...

[Garrett78]

9. I suspect closing the polls early is more likely to give Sanders a boost.

I would think the after-work crowd leans Clinton. Millennials tend to have more flexibility in their schedule.

Of course, it all depends on what county we're talking about. In some places each candidate will benefit and in other places each candidate will be harmed.

The bottom line is there clearly aren't enough people to man polling places. If it was up to me, every primary would take place over the course of 3 days, including a weekend day (Thursday through Saturday). And there would be the option of voting early by mail, as in Oregon.

[jcgoldie]

18. How do you come to the conclusion that it benefits one candidate?

Usually its urban and minority heavy districts where they are short polling places. If you haven't been paying attention, those are the voters who have overwhelmingly voted against your guy.

[lagomorph777]

19. But hey, only the primaries are important.

I mean, it's not like voter suppression could bite us in the ass in the GE, right?

[Beacool]

23. Really?

Care to prove that?

[leftynyc]

34. More complete bullshit

Where is your proof this hurts Bernie and not Hillary - whose voters are older and likely voting AFTER work?

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. Can Indiana voters vote absentee in a primary? n/t

[MineralMan]

15. Yes. Mail-in ballots are used.

I saw one report that said about 250K were sent out, and a high percentage of those have been marked and mailed.

[lumberjack_jeff]

11. The DNC is doing literally everything that I hate about Republicans. n/t

[MineralMan]

16. The DNC has nothing to do with Indiana's election laws.

Really. It doesn't. Every state handles its own election.

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Much like the DNC has nothing to do with states sending the HVF "donations" back to the DNC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511890462

Pull the other one.

[NuclearDem]

21. The DNC has nothing to do with the number of Indiana polling places.

Bring that up with the Republican governor and Secretary of State we have here.

[Agnosticsherbet]

29. Connie Laswon, Indiana's Secretary of State, runs the elections.

Vent your anger and Lawson and Republicans. They are the only ones with the power to do what was done.

[bettyellen]

31. you seem to be confused as to who handles state matters....

no reason to post bullshit. get informed.

[floppyboo]

12. How expensive is it for a state to run a primary/caucus?

And does the state party pay for all/some/most of it or does the DNC/RNC pitch in? Aside from some of the glaring instances of vote rigging (Chicago) could it be that's its just too damned expensive to run a fair election?

What if the DNC and RNC formed a joint committee and agreed on some rules? Oh, I hear laughing already! Something's gotta change though!

[Joob]

13. Another notch to use against the DNC

[hrmjustin]

22. The dNC has nothing to do with the polls closings or election day staffing.

[Firebrand Gary]

30. +1

[sweetapogee]

17. Ironclad proof

of something.

[Lizzie Poppet]

24. This election is so transparently rotten...

...that I suspect that high-pitched sound you hear is the Framers whirling in their graves at 10,000rpm. They'd be disgusted we're not rising against this shit.

[Fresh_Start]

32. The framers only planned for white male property owners to vote

no women
no minorities
no renters

[Lizzie Poppet]

37. Sure. But would they be of that opinion today?

I very much doubt it. They would, however, be up in arms (probably literally) about election shenanigans (regardless of what candidate might have been harmed).

[Fresh_Start]

39. most likely yes, they would still be that way today.

The Framers were a fairly aristocratic bunch, many of whom had mixed feelings about “democracy,” which they sometimes regarded as mob rule. Although the preamble begins with “We, the people,” and guarantees a “republican form of government” to all of the states, the word “democracy” is not mentioned in the text of the Constitution.

When the Framers used the word themselves it was often a pejorative term. On the convention’s first day, delegate Edmund Randolph of Virginia warned that “none of the [state] constitutions have provided sufficient checks against democracy.” A week later, Massachusetts delegate Elbridge Gerry said “the evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy.” Father of the Constitution James Madison referred to “the inconvenience of democracy,” and Alexander Hamilton to the “imprudence” of it.

The Framers did, after all, create four power centers (president, House, Senate and Supreme Court) and only the House was to be directly elected.

But, on balance, the Framers’ decision not to let the people directly elect the president is more complicated than their aristocratic mistrust of the mob.

[Rebkeh]

25. Sigh... Figures. K and R

[yourpaljoey]

27. Dirty tricks!

[nemo137]

28. Elections really should be removed from the secretary of state's portfolio

As long as it's an elected office. The current Indiana Secretary of State used to be the Republican floor leader in their lege.

[LongTomH]

35. We need a new voting rights act, one which sets some minimal standards for elections, including.....

.......primaries. Let the states continue to hold elections, but require them to hold to some decent standards.

[NurseJackie]

38. National holiday for election day. Nationwide standardized early-voting. Automatic registeration.

[felix_numinous]

40. I am glad all this is being documented

The people can decide for themselves what is corrupt.

[WhiteTara]

46. The DNC does NOT set the rules. The Secretary of State

who is Republicon sets up the election laws. I know it's convenient to blame the DNC, but really, become informed before you blame.

[moriah]

48. In Arkansas at least, anyone in line when the polls close gets to vote.

That's why it takes longer in counties with precincts that are larger and likely to have a long waiting line when the polls close.

I hope it's the same in Indiana. When I was a poll worker in the GE for 2008, we didn't check in the last voter until two hours after the polls had closed. Someone had to stand outside and hand out tickets showing they hsd been in line at the marker because we couldn't spare anyone to stand outside and monitor people for those two hours.

[grossproffit]

51. That's how it should be everywhere. Just like at the bank.

[bjo59]

52. It just never ends and not a G-damn thing will be done about it.

I'm getting really sick of living in such a corrupted country.