Voting was brisk throughout Porter County on Tuesday, with many reporting lines at polling places before they opened at 6 a.m.
Nearly as many voters came to the polls Tuesday as they did in the last presidential election. While the 2008 general election saw 66 percent of registered voters in Porter County cast ballots, Tuesday, with 85 percent of the precincts reporting, 54 percent or 61,548 residents cast their votes.
"People were lined up this morning," said Dave Lasayko, an inspector at the Portage Precinct 35 polling place at the First Presbyterian Church on Lute Road. The church also houses Precinct 24 voters.
By 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lasayko estimated 45 percent of voters registered in the two precincts had voted.
Lasayko said there was a glitch with the Precinct 35 voting machine early Tuesday morning. A flap mechanism was stuck, preventing ballots from being fed through the machine. A technician arrived and fixed the problem. Ballots had been kept in holding, but were then run through the machine.
Center Precinct 17 at the Indiana National Guard Armory on U.S. 30 also had a good turnout.
Pole judge Becky Springsteen has been working elections for about 15 years and said Tuesday morning's turnout was among the best she has seen.
Porter County Democrat Chair Jeff Chidester said there had been a "pretty consistent stream" of voters throughout the day in the county. He said Tuesday afternoon that what appeared to be a good voter turnout during the day, along with a record number of early voters and absentee ballots, might boost the this election's turn out to numbers near those of four years ago.
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