Oct 16, 2008 6:35 pm US/Central
Obama Backers Get Out Early Vote In Indiana
Gary, Ind. (CBS) ―
Illinois will almost certainly go for Barack Obama, but just across the state line in Indiana may be the most hotly contested battleground in the race for president. CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports on the extraordinary steps Obama backers are taking to get early voters to the polls.
Donald Ward was happy to accept a ride offered Thursday by two union canvassers for Barack Obama today. He became the 77th person to vote early in the past two days, courtesy of the Service Employees International.
Also playing a role was Morton Grove resident Mahira Selimbegovic. She's among 70 Obama-backing Illinoisans now working in Lake County, Ind., to help Hoosiers to vote early. She had already helped six Hoosiers make it to the polls.
Officials said more than 300 had cast ballots in the early voting office in Gary. Republicans, though, want to shut that office down. They claim that, although other Indiana counties have satellite early-voting offices, Lake County has a history of vote fraud and cannot be trusted to do it honestly.
"We're not going to not let these people vote, so they can try everything they want to try," one Obama backer said. "Theyr'e going to get to the polls, so you can tell the Republicans (the voters) are going to get to the polls, no matter what."
There's an edge and a little attitude on both sides over there in Indiana. The Associated Press has reported that across Indiana more than 60,000 have already cast early votes or absentee votes. That's about one-third of the number of voters who did that four years ago, and there are still 19 days to go before the 2008 election.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
The Tattooed Ladies of Hollywood
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
