Election 2008---finding your sample ballot in Indiana

I know that many people are interested in finding out all of the facts on candidates before election day so as to make informed decisions when they vote. But it would also seem prudent to know what to expect before you walk into the voting booth. Do you really know what judges should retain their seats and so on.

Well, in Indiana (at least) we have a way of finding out what will be on the actual ballot.

To do that (for Indiana) you can follow these steps with the following links:

(you must have Adobe Acrobat for the final ballot)

1. You need to find out which precinct you are in. To find out click here and enter the information it requests.
a. It will ask you to select your County from a drop down list.
b. Last name, First name, and Date of Birth
c. Then click the "Find" button

That should bring up another page. For us, this page already had the "Polling Place" category expanded.

2. Click on the "+" next to "Search Results"

(This should expand that category and reveal your voting precinct--write down or remember you voting precinct)

3. Once you have your precinct number, click here to locate which ballot style number you'll be using.

(This link will take you to another page that has you precinct # on the left hand side and on the right hand side the corresponding position will contain the ballot style number--write down or remember your ballot style number)

4. Once you have your ballot style number, click here to find your ballot. This will include all national, state, and specific local questions you'll be asked when you go to place your vote.

Step 4 is where you will need to be sure to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can get it here. There should be a list, find your ballot and click on it.

Once you have all of this done you can either save the document on your computer or you can print it off to look up anything you want or simply to familiarize yourself with the ballot you will be faced with this election season.

Happy voting!

Mark