Early voting begins Monday

From Staff Reports

LA PORTE - Monday is the first day of early voting and the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 4 general election.

Voting is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the courthouses in La Porte and Michigan City. The polls are closed from 11:30 a.m. to noon for lunch.

The La Porte courthouse is at 809 State St. and the Michigan City courthouse is at 300 Washington St.

Polls also will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the four Saturdays leading up to the election: Oct. 11, 18 and 25 and Nov. 1.

To register to vote Monday, go to the clerk's office in the Michigan City courthouse or the Voter Registration Office in the La Porte courthouse. Potential voters must bring an Indiana ID or driver's license and an item like a utility bill to prove residency. Anyone without an Indiana ID must get one before being able to vote.

To vote absentee, call the local absentee boards for an application, which is due by Oct. 27. The phone number is (219) 326-6808, Ext. 2266, or 874-5611, Ext. 7732.

If someone is unable to leave his/her place of residence to vote, there is a traveling board that can come to houses, nursing homes and other places so people can vote. Call either absentee board to make arrangements.

On Election Day, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If someone does not know his/her precinct, call the Voter Registration Office at (219) 326-6808, extensions 2250 or 2242.

For some, Election Day is today

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

Early voting available to all residents.

MICHIGAN CITY - Charles De Young is 87.

"He's a World War II veteran," said his wife, Gen. "He's part of the reason we can vote."

Chatting in the hallway of the Superior Courthouse in Michigan City while her husband voted in the early/absentee voting office, Gen De Young said her husband finds it difficult to stand in long lines.

"So we decided to vote early."

According to Pat Steele, a member of the absentee voting board, the De Youngs would have found a longer line earlier in the day. Steele and Diane Gonzalez, another member of the board, had been thoughtful enough to install chairs in the hallway for those who were waiting.

At about 3:05 p.m., Steele said 134 voters had cast their ballots. She expects more until the office closes at noon on Monday, Nov. 3, the day before Election Day.

This is his second voting season but the first opportunity for Michael Phillips to vote in a presidential election.

"I was old enough to vote two years ago, but, of course, it wasn't a year to elect the president," he said. A computer engineering student at Purdue University, Phillips has been home for fall break this week. "I'll be at school on Election Day, so I voted early to make sure I could vote," he said.

Rudy and Mary J. Nichols, Trail Creek, also decided to vote early.

"Just in case we couldn't on Election Day. I'm not planning to be out of town on that day, but you never know and I wanted to make sure I voted," Rudy Nichols said.

Gonzalez said absentee voting via U.S. mail has been lively as well.

After the early voting closes, the voting machines along with the mailed absentee votes will be delivered to the courthouse in La Porte, she added. The votes will not be counted until Election Day.

Any registered voter may vote early, Gonzalez explained. Voters will be required to complete an application for early voting before they vote at the courthouse. Those who vote by mail also must complete an application and include it in the envelope with the ballot.

Those who vote early should bring with them their driver's license or their state-issued ID cards, just as those who vote on Election Day should.

Gen De Young complimented the process.

"These ladies are so upbeat and cheerful," she said. "They made it easy to vote."



Contact Deborah Sederberg at dsederberg@thenewsdispatch.com.