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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Ind. Courts - Still more on: Hearing set in early voting case

Updating this ILB entry from late yesterday, both NW Indiana newspapers today report that they expect a ruling shortly, perhaps today.

John Byrne of the Gary Post-Tribune writes:

HAMMOND -- Lake County's early voting controversy went on the road Monday.

Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider visited in-person absentee voting locations in Hammond, Gary and East Chicago as part of the latest hearing on whether to let balloting at the sites continue.

Schneider said she might rule today, though she told attorneys in the case she fully expects the losing side to appeal to the state Court of Appeals. * * *

Joined by a phalanx of attorneys representing the Republican Party, the Democratic-controlled Lake County Election Board and a series of intervenors -- including various labor unions and the NAACP -- Schneider quietly visited the county offices where the voting has been taking place since Oct. 14.

The judge declined to discuss what she hoped to learn at the three northern sites or in Crown Point, where she also visited the early voting office at the Lake County government center.

Bill Dolan reports in the NWI Times in a story that begins:
CROWN POINT | Early in-person voting continued another day Monday while a judge toured Gary, Hammond and East Chicago satellite voting locations and heard hours of testimony and arguments on whether they are legal and fair.

Lake County Superior Court Judge Diane Kavadias-Schneider promised to rule either today or early Wednesday, but acknowledged the court battle over satellite voting centers likely will be taken up by a higher court regardless of her decision.

Kavadias-Schneider visited the Gary, Hammond and East Chicago courthouses where lines of voters were casting ballots for the Nov. 4 presidential, state and local elections and questioned county elections board Director Sally LaSota about the process of early voting and safeguards against vote fraud.

She explored with LaSota whether to open even more early in-person voting centers in suburban communities in response to Republican complaints Democrats have opened voting in the county's three largest Democratic strongholds.

However, R. Lawrence Steele, a GOP lawyer, told the judge they don't want more early voting centers open, they want Gary, Hammond and East Chicago's centers closed.

Kavadias-Schneider asked, "What of those who have already voted?" Steele said, "Maybe those votes should be discarded."

Here is a list of most ILB entries on the early / remote voting case in Lake County.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 21, 2008 08:22 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts