Oct 13, 2008 10:19 pm US/Central
Early Voting Hits A Snag In Northwest Indiana
CROWN POINT, Ind. (CBS) ―
Early voting has hit a snag in Northwest Indiana. Charges of voting fraud mean early ballots won't be cast in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago for now.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that Lake County author Sandra Schantz hosted a signing for her book about families mourning the loss of children - she feels the issue ties her more to the GOP. But allegations of voter fraud have left her unsure Republicans will see a fair election in Lake County, Indiana.
"I really don't know," Schantz said. "It depends on what's going on behind these closed doors that we don't know about."
She's not alone. Republican leadership got a temporary restraining order to keep early voting centers from opening in three cities. The party says the Board of Elections doesn't need the extra work right now with all the new voter registrations to verify.
"It's got them waiting and their working two shifts," said John Curley, Republican Party Chairman, Lake County, Ind.
He put out a flyer today blasting the community organization ACORN for submitting phony voter registrations - he says more early voting places could bite the county with more potential fraud.
"This is not a Democrat or Republican problem in Lake County," Curley said. "This is fraud by ACORN."
The county's Democrat party chair argues not opening the centers in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago effectively strips thousands of their right to vote.
"We all know what that's about, to slow down or stop people from voting and disenfranchise people, especially the democratic votes," said Rudy Clay, Democratic Party Chairman, Lake County, Ind.
People who can't vote early in their home cities can do so at the Lake County government center in Crown Point. It is about a 20-minute drive from the affected cities. A superior court judge will hear the case Tuesday, but it is a case that could drag on for days.
If attorneys try to get the case moved, it could still be in court come election day. Gary, Ind. Mayor Rudy Clay is asking the Board of Elections to extend early voting hours at the center in Crown Point. He says he's working to find ways to bus voters there.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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