11/07/11 With Election Day, November 8, only a few days away, the final preparations are falling into place. On Tuesday, the Election Board members, Julie Fox, Steve Harper, and Rodger Wise held classes for the 42 poll workers and alternates in Marshall County to make sure they understand what rules are in place for voting.
Each precinct will have seven poll workers including: Two judges, two clerks, two sheriffs (one Democrat and one republican) and one inspector. The inspector who has a Republican Party affiliation will serve as the inspector. The party is determined by the total votes cast for the Indiana Secretary of State.
The polls will open on November 8 at 6:00 a.m. – Eastern Daylight Savings Time- and close at 6:00 p.m. According to the official rules, anyone already the voting chute will be allowed to vote, even if the 6:00 p.m. closing time has been met.
The number of registered voters using the privilege of absentee voting seems low. As of Tuesday when the Election Board met, only 59 people had taken advantage of voting in the Clerk’s office. Forty-five more had voted with the travel board and another 47 had cast their votes by mail. The Marshall County office also had one email vote.
Absentee voters will still have two more opportunities to use the voting booths in the Clerk’s office. The site will be open on Saturday, November 5 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.. and on Monday, November 7, from 8:00 a.m. until noon.
During the election in 2007, only a little over 33 percent of eligible voters exercised their right to cast a vote.
Carol Anders Correspondent
