The 2008 General Election:
A Voter’s Guide for
Real Estate Professionals

Prepared by Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS®
Information provided by Indiana Election Division and Indiana Chamber of Commerce

Introduction

MIBOR’s Government Affairs Team unleashed a Get Out The Vote program in the Fall of 2002 to allow real estate professionals and their clients to be better informed about upcoming elections.  This spring, the Government Affairs Department is doing it again!  We have compiled information and resources to better serve you for Indiana’s 2008 General Election.  In this publication, you will find voter registration information, important dates, interesting facts, candidate information and much, much more. 

For more information, please contact MIBOR’s Government Affairs Department:

Chris Pryor, Government Affairs Director, 317/ 956-5240
Pat Cline, Political Affairs Liaison, 317/956-5250

Photo ID Required
If you are voting in person at the polls, or voting an absentee ballot in you county clerk’s office, you will be asked to present proof of identification before voting. This ID must

1. Show your photograph
2. Include your name, which must conform to your name on your voter registration record
3. Have an expiration date after November 6, 2007
4. Be issued by the U.S. Government or the State of Indiana.

If you do not have a photo ID when you appear to vote, you will cast a “provisional ballot”, which permits you to vote on Election Day. In doing so, you must present your ID to the election board no later than 13 days after Election Day.

You are also entitled to receive a free state issued ID.  For more information on obtaining a valid identification card, visit the Secretary of State's website. If this is your first time voting, the Secretary of State has also made available this First Time Voting Guide.

2008 November General Election Candidate List
The following list represents all of the candidates that have filed to run in the municipal election.  Many of these positions make decisions that impact your real estate business, clients and community. 

During the municipal election you may vote for candidates of any party.  Please note that candidates that are REALTOR® members are noted as such.

Boone County
Brown County
Hamilton County
Hancock County
Hendricks County
Johnson County
Marion County
Montgomery County
Morgan County
Shelby County

Registering to Vote
The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is Monday, October 6, 2008.  Mail-in voter registration applications must be post-marked on or before Oct. 6th in order to be eligible to vote in the election. 

If you are unsure of whether or not you are registered or whether your registration was approved, call 1-866-IN-1-VOTE or visit www.indianavoters.com.

When you register to vote, you are not required to declare a party affiliation.  If you move from one precinct to another in the same county within the month (30 days or fewer) before the Primary Election Day, you are not eligible to vote unless an affidavit for transfer of registration is requested and filled out.  You may also return to the precinct where you formerly resided to vote on Election Day, after completing a registration transfer in witness of the precinct inspector where you formerly resided. 

You must re-register by October 6, 2008, if you:

• Have not voted in the 48 months prior to the most recent election;
• Have moved to another precinct or county in Indiana more than 30 days before Election Day; or
• Have moved into Indiana from another state

Where to Register
You can register to vote at these locations:

• Downloading and mailing voter registration form
• The county’s voter registration office (Find it here)
• The office of the circuit court clerk or board of registration
• Any license branch while applying for or renewing a driver’s license
• Any public assistance office, while applying for services

You may also register to vote in Indiana by mail, by filling out a pre-addressed card available at:

• Public libraries
• Bureau of Motor Vehicles (license branch)
• Local school corporations with public secondary schools
• Local government offices
• The county voter registration office
• Political party headquarters
• Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS®
• Downloading and mailing voter registration form

Deadlines and Other Important Dates

• October 6, 2008 - Voter Registration Deadline for General Election
• November 4, 2008 - General Election Day
• Download the State Election Calendar here

Note: Absentee ballots may be completed in the county clerk’s office until noon before Election Day.

Voting
To be eligible to vote in Indiana, a person must:

• Be at least 18 years old by the day of the next primary or general election
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Have lived in their precinct for 30 days before the election and not currently in prison after being convicted of a crime
• Be registered to vote

Voting Hours & Location
The polls are open on Election Day from 6:00 a.m. to 6 p.m., local time.
Local newspapers publish area voting places at least 10 days prior the election.  You may also contact your county clerk, county election boards in larger counties, and boards of voter registration or political party headquarters. 

Absentee Voting
You may vote absentee if:

• You will be out of the country on Election Day
• You are confined, or the expectation of being confined, due to illness or injury until after the election
• Caring for a confined person at a private residence
• You are a voter who has disabilities
• You are at least 65 years of age
• You are a member of the uniformed service or an overseas voter
• You have official election duties outside of one’s normal voting precinct
• Scheduled to work during the 12 hours the polls are open
• Download an Absentee Voting Application Form here

Please see “deadlines and important dates” for when absentee ballots must be returned to the county clerk’s office.  Absentee ballot requests must be sent to the county clerk’s office prior to the election. 

Provisional Ballot
If you believe you are registered to vote in a precinct, but your name does not appear on the poll list, or if you have been challenged as not qualified to vote in your precinct, you will cast a “provisional ballot.” A provisional ballot will be kept separate from the other ballots cast in that precinct. After Election Day, the county election board will decide if you were qualified to vote in that precinct, and if your ballot should be counted. You will be able to contact your county election board to find out if your ballot was counted.

The Election
When you cast your ballot on Nov. 4, you are making use of the only direct control of government that we are guaranteed in both the United States and the Indiana Constitutions.  During this year’s General Election, Hoosier voters will choose who will represent them in public office at the local level of government.  The importance of these local elected officials is illustrated by the brief descriptions of offices that are up for election in 2008.

2008 General Election
During the 2008 General Election voters will be choosing officials to represent them for the following offices:

• County Commissioner
• County Council Members
• Various County Offices – Recorder, Treasurer, Auditor, Superior Court Judges, Surveyor
• State Representative
• Attorney General
• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Governor/Lieutenant Governor
• State Senator
• U.S. House of Representatives
• President/Vice-President of the United States
• Public Questions/Voter Referendum/Judicial Retention Questions

Public Questions on Some Ballots
In this election, some MIBOR areas will have more choices than just between candidates. In Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson and Marion counties some voters will see a public question that reads:

Should the assessing duties of the elected township assessor
in the township be transferred to the county assessor?

This question will appear on ballots in townships who have more than 15,000 parcels. Last year, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that eliminated township assessors and transferred the duties to the county assessor except for those townships with more than 15,000 parcels. The remaining 43 townships will vote this November if they too want to consolidate or retain their township assessor.

Voters in the Indianapolis Public School District will also vote on an public question regarding a $278M capital improvement project for dozens of IPS schools. To see how the question will appear on the ballot, please click here.

Your Vote Counts
As everyone is aware by now, this election will have a tremendous effect on your township, county, state and the country. For the first time since 1968, Indiana seems to be a battleground state for the Presidential Election, Voters in 13 of MIBOR’s townships will have an opportunity to vote on the transfer of assessing duties from the township assessor to their county assessor, and the direction Indiana takes for the next 4 years hangs on the Governor’s race.  This is major election. Be heard.

Click here to go back to Election Page.