NA voting going smoothly with about 10 percent participating so far

Voting was reported going smoothly at noon in the New Albany municipal party primaries.

More than 400 people had voted with a ratio of roughly four Republican ballots to each one Democratic ballot. The total vote four years ago was more than 1,400 out of close to 5,000 registered voters.

Officials were hoping for a good turnout, aided by good weather and the number of candidates seeking election.

A few people were confused by the move from the courthouse to the community center but officials said future elections probably will be held at the center because there is so much more space. Parking is relatively limited but plenty of spaces were generally available because voters were getting in and out quickly.

The only real problem in voting was in people failing to understand the primary process. Some voters would begin electronically marking their ballots only to discover particular candidates they were interested in were not listed.

This was despite the fact that voters were given the opportunity to look at both sample ballots before choosing the Democratic or Republican primary.

Those who wanted to change parties mid-vote were allowed to do so as long as they had not formally cast their ballots. This means extra work for election holders because they have to go back and change poll book entries and other records, however.

Polls are open until 7 p.m.