Published: May 08, 2008 04:30 pm            

Indiana primary poll worker calls election site 'Obama's house'

EVANSVILLE — An Indiana primary election poll worker was caught on camera chanting Obama's name and calling the polling place "Obama's house," according to a local television station that filmed the remarks.

The Vandenburgh County clerk said the Tuesday incident will be reviewed by an election board in a few weeks.

"A formal complaint has not been made, and that's one reason that we're deciding if we'll put that on the agenda or not," County Clerk Susan Kirk said. "FOX News brought it in. They didn't complain, they just asked if that is appropriate and, of course, that's not appropriate."

WTVW-FOX7 filmed the poll worker engaging in a conversation with a man. It is unknown if he was a poll worker or a voter. The woman is shown saying to him, "This is Obama's house." The woman also is seen chanting Obama's name and asking who in the location is voting for the Illinois senator. The station's report also has been linked to the popular YouTube Web site.

Indiana law states that no one can solicit votes or electioneer within 50 feet of a polling place.

Kirk said after the station brought the video to their attention, the county election board attorneys went to the polling place in the 4th Ward precinct to investigate and have the woman refrain from making the comments. Kirk said she did not know the outcome of that visit.

"I haven't had time to sit down and go through every complaint that was made. The attorneys go over those, and I don't go up to them every two minutes and ask them what are you doing?" Kirk said.

Election Board President Tom Massey said the board usually gets complaints from voters, but Tuesday was the first time a television station brought such an incident to its attention.

"Typically we'll get complaints from voters, but this is the first time that the media, with media credentials, was able to film something," he said.

Massey said the board's next meeting hasn't been scheduled, but it will be held in the next several weeks. That meeting, he said, will determine the board's position on the incident, including whether to recommend referring it to county prosecutors and whether the woman should be allowed to be a poll worker in future elections.

        

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