Monday ends Indiana voter registration

Today is the deadline for Indiana residents to register to vote, and the increased interest in this year's presidential election has led to a surge of new voters.

Over 50 people have registered at the Vigo County Republican Headquarters, 7 S. Sixth St., this election cycle, said coordinator Jack Shipman.

Many of them have been high school seniors and college students.

"It's been kind of exciting for me," Shipman said. He pointed out that party allegiance does not have to be specified on the registration forms.

Students for Barack Obama registered 68 voters on Wednesday, organization members said. They have had a table set up in Dede Plaza in the final days before deadline.

Registration forms are also available at Cunningham Memorial Library.

There were 77,566 voters registered in Vigo County as of Sept. 29, according to a tracking report provided by the county Voter Registration Office.

The turnout to register recently has been "pretty typical" and can be compared to the 2004 election, said Bill Treadway, the office's Republican chairman.

"For us, it's always busy this time of year," Treadway said. Statewide, there were 4,398,920 total registered voters as of Sept. 20, according to data on Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita's Web site. That's an increase of 102,318 from the 2006 general election.

There were 4,296,602 registered voters in 2004. Voters will need to show a photo ID, such as valid driver's license or military identification, when they go to the polls, said Anita Anderson, deputy clerk of the county election office.

A polling place database, searchable by county of registration, name and date of birth, can be accessed at indianavoters.com. A sample ballot can be viewed at www.vigocounty.org/clerk.

The deadline for mail-in absentee ballots to be received by the county election offices is Oct. 27, according to Rokita's Web site.

Beginning today, voters who are registered in Vigo County can cast a satellite ballot in the glass room at the library, said Nancy Rogers, coordinator of the voting center.

The center will be open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. through Oct. 31, but will be closed Oct. 10 for Fall Break and Oct. 13 for Columbus Day, Rogers said.

People can also vote from 8 a.m. to noon, Nov. 3, the day prior to Election Day, Rogers said. ID requirements still apply.

"This is the second time we have offered satellite voting," Rogers said. "We also offered it during the primary in May."

Vigo County Clerk Pat Mansard hopes satellite voting will increase turnout.

The deadline for Illinois residents to register is Tuesday, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

More information on Illinois absentee ballots, can be found at www.elections.il.gov.

( Nick Hedrick is a freshman communication major. He can be reached at sascamed@isugw.indstate.edu.)