The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-08
Voting SLOW
Z. And HEAVY IN
/. MOST OF CITY
BaIIoting About Normal on
South Side: Women
Out in Force.
CMOre Voting Detail on Page TwO)

SLOW IlGdNy FOU4lS IA VAAS AAS- VA
and east sides and only normal bal
loting in the west and south sides
marked today's primary election in
indianapolis.
Women were energetic and nu-
merous about the polls, thousands
of them needing the admonition to
vote during the morning and clear
the way Tor men coming home from
factories and Offices late in the day.
The vote started with the usual
rush, the line-ups in north side
precincts being heavier than usual,
slowed up through the middle OF
the day, and started in heavy again
In the afternoon.
Indications were that the strong
fight to clean out the George V.
Coffin Republican county organ1-
cation, and the intensive campaigns
waged by the candidate for PreSi-
dent, Governor and United States
Senator had stirred north side voters
to a pitch seldom before equalled.
Booths Are Swamped
So heavy was the voting in many
precincts, especially in the Fourth
ward and Washington Township,
lthat the county election board
authorized the precinct boards to
put in tables for the voters use,
the booths being swamped.
fNQT0
many as six booths, but these were
not enough to accommodate the
voters, who stood patiently in line
for an hour or more before they
fcould get inside the voting places.
No physical violence had been re-
, ported to the election board at a
late hour this morning, but there
were the usual tangles over absent
election officials, switches in voting
places and controversies over who
were members Of the precinct
boards.
Workers around the polls said
that never before have they seen
voters come to the polls so certain
as to whom they wanted to vote
for.
] Apparently the political problem
Of the county and State had been
studied carefully. This was indi-
Gated by the large number Of
voters, particularly women, who
came with states already made out.
Fight for Committeeman
The interest in the Republican
candidates far overshadowed that
in Democrats, due to the bitter
fight within the Republican party
between the faction desirous Of a
cleanup and the present corruption
smeared leadership desirous Of re-
tanning control.
The workers for Herbert G. Hoo
yer and James E. Watson, rival
presidential candidates, and for the
various Republican senatorial and
governorship candidates we're active
around the polls, but in most places
the battle between rival Republican
candidates for precinct committee
man was just as vigorous.
' Voters appeared to be taking more
pains to ascertain who is who'
among the committeeman candi-
, dates.
Ordinarily the organizatin is able
TO put across whomever it pleases
for committeeman because of vot-
ers apathy.
Long Ballot Slows Vote
This time the voters appeared
deeply interested in ascertaining
: which candidate was the man sur
rounded by Coffin. The precinct
committeeman elected today meet
next Saturday to elect county
chairman to replace Coffin.
The law allows voters three min
utes inside the booth, but precinct
officials reported that many were
taking longer. In some places the
officials were hustling the voters out
at the end of their three minutes
but in others they we're urging them
to hurry but letting them complete
their marking.
The Republican ballot alone bears
more than 200 names and the neces-
sity of wading through this list
slowed up the voters.
Official Protests
One citizen complained that in
the Fourth precinct of the Seventh
ward, Alb N. New Jersey ST., men,
bers of the board were taking voters
who complained they did not know
who to vote for into the booths and
helping them mark their ballots
The law states that aid only is to
be given those physically incapaci-
tated.
Call 'LOng Distance" or Dial 211
to obtain the new Hold-the-L Line
= soro distance telephOne service tC