Voter turnout was up across the nation, a fact especially evident for poll workers in Inyo County. In Independence (above), 72 voters turned out before 2 p.m. Tuesday, which is about the total number that showed up at the polls in June. There were also more absentee ballots submitted for the precinct. Photo by Mike Gervais

By Darcy Ellis
Editor
11-6-2008

Polls across the country are reporting record voter turnout tallies for Tuesday’s historic presidential election, and according to the numbers coming in from the Elections Department in Independence, Inyo County residents were no exception when it came to making their voices heard en masse.
With approximately 1,350 votes still to be tallied following the close of the polls at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Registrar of Voters Mary Roper reported yesterday that Inyo County is on track to meeting or even surpassing its previous voter turnout record of 82 percent.
“I think we can project turnout will be about 85 percent,” Roper said, “assuming the 111 or 112 provisional ballots left to be counted are valid.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the semi-official voter turnout tally was 71.37 percent, based on a total of 7,330 ballots cast (by mail or at the polls) with 10,270 total residents registered to vote for the Nov. 4 General Election.

By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
11-8-2008

Inyo County Superior Court Judge Dean Stout is looking to the future and a construction project that will add a state-of-the-art court facility in Independence.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors discussed the court facility project in August, but decided to hold off on any action on the construction until the results of Senate Bill 1407 were known.
SB 1407 is a source of funds that could be used for courthouse improvements.
Judge Stout, on Tuesday, addressed the board with an update on SB 1407 and a status report on the county’s courthouse construction fund.
According to Stout, SB 1407 was passed and enacted in September and will provide $5 billion in lease revenue bonds that can be used for construction and/or improvements on court facilities.

By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
11-6-2008

Local election results are close, really close. They’re so close, in fact, that as of Wednesday morning, most of the races could not be called with confidence.
Such a large number of absentee ballots have yet to be counted that nearly every race is still pending.
Only 80 votes gap the challengers in the hotly contested race for Superior Court Judge, and only three votes separate two candidates for one of the seats on the Lone Pine school board.
An unprecedented amount of absentee ballots, approximately 1,200, along with an equally unexpected 112 provisional ballots, were turned into polling places the night of the election and are delaying a final tally. According to the Inyo County Elections Office, these votes might not be counted until Friday.