From the Office of Secretary of
State
John Gale
402-471-2554
www.sos.ne.gov
For Release
October 16, 2012
Contact: Laura Strimple
402-471-8408
laura.strimple@nebraska.gov
Early voting heats up across Nebraska
Lincoln -- County Election Offices across Nebraska are getting a lot of requests for
early ballots. In Nebraska's three largest counties: Lancaster, Sarpy and Douglas,
foot traffic has also been steady as people vote in-person.
"Over 17,000 Sarpy County voters have already requested an early ballot be sent
to them or have voted in the office," said Election Commissioner Wayne Bena. "This
shatters all previous records for this early in the election season."
Requests have also been heavy in Lancaster County, nearing the 20,000
mark. "Four years ago we had a total of a little over 30,000 early vote ballots,"
explained Lancaster County Election Commissioner Dave Shively. "I'm sure we will
well exceed that number this year with just about two weeks left to go."
In Douglas County, 3,676 people have voted in person. More than 54,774 requests
have been submitted for ballots and of those, more than 20,000 have been
returned. County Election Commissioner Dave Phipps said this already exceeds
early voting requests and response during the 2008 general election and he
believes it will only grow in the weeks to come. "We expect early voting to account
for a fairly large percentage of the vote for this election. In 2008, approximately
27% of all Douglas County voters voted early. This year, we expect that number to
be somewhere between 35% and 40% of the total vote," said Phipps.
Other counties are also experiencing something of a "boom" when it comes to early
voting requests. "I've got three computers going, and could literally use three more
to process all the requests we're receiving. We've been getting about 500 a day
since it started," said Hall County Election Commissioner Dale Baker.
The Lincoln County Election Commissioner said her office has also sent out 2,000
ballots since early voting started on October 1. The first week was the busiest her
office has ever had.
In reaction to the enormous response Secretary of State John Gale said, "A surge
in early voting signals a probable high turnout for our November 6 election. While
convenience is a factor, early voting shows people have been paying attention and
are ready to vote.” He reminded those who wish to cast their ballots early, there
are deadlines approaching:
-- Registered voters can make requests until 4 p.m. October 31 for early voting
ballots to be mailed. November 5 is the deadline for in-person early voting at
county election offices for registered voters.
-- The close of polls on November 6 is the deadline for the return of early voting
ballots to county election offices, including ballots returned by mail.
"Don’t waste your ballot. Early voting in person or by mail should be done well
ahead of deadlines to make sure your ballot gets cast and counted,” advised Gale.
“Early voting mail-in ballots have been shown to have as high as a 4% rejection
rate when envelopes aren’t signed, or signed by someone else, or sent in a wrong
envelope, or returned due to no postage. So, follow the simple rules, get it done
right, and make your ballot count. "
Nebraska’s three largest counties also utilize drop boxes, to make early voting more
convenient. In Lancaster and Sarpy counties, they are located outside the Election
Commission offices. Douglas County has five. Three of those sites are at local
libraries.
Phipps added that in Douglas County, early voting is popular, and continues to
be even more so with each passing election. "After people vote early once, they
seem to be more likely to do so again in the future. It's easy and convenient for
voters who don't want to worry about problems such as a busy work schedule, sick
children, or being out of town on Election Day."
Requests for early voting ballots can be found on the Secretary of State's website
(www.sos.state.ne.gov). Look under 'Elections' for 'Voter Forms'.
=======================================
Help Needed at LHS!
The Louisville High School One-Act Play team is looking for a few people willing to help sew costumes. The sewing isn't difficult, but there are about 15 costumes to be made so we need more than just one or two people sewing so that no one person has a huge burden. Sewing will begin sometime next week -- you can do it at your own home, materials and patterns will be provided. Costumes have to be done by November 9. If interested, contact Allison Bauers at a_bauers@yahoo.com or 402-297-2419. Thanks!
The show being produced by the students is titled Nora's Lost. It is a serious play that tries to provide a glimpse into the impact of Alzheimer's Disease on an individual woman and on her family. The public performance of the play will be Sunday evening, November 18, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the elementary gym of the Louisville School. Admission: A free-will donation with all proceeds going to the Great Plains Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
=======================================
WHO I AM: My name is Margaret Minchow, and I am running for re-election to the Louisville Board of Education.
CURRENT: I live in Cedar Creek, Nebraska, and have lived here 17 years. My husband of 24 years is Matt Minchow, and we have three children: Noel – who lives in Omaha and is a junior at UNO. Nathan is a sophomore at Louisville High School, and Olivia is a 7th grader at Louisville Middle School.
PAST: I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but spent most of my childhood in Columbus, Nebraska. My father was in the United States Navy, and met my mother while stationed in Naples, Italy. They married and moved to the United States. She was 36 years old, and he was 22. I am the 5th of 6 children. After graduating from Columbus Scotus High School in 1982, I attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, which is where I met my husband. I worked at various jobs while in school, and ended up at First National Bank of Omaha where I worked in the Human Resources Department. I worked in Employment Services and later in Payroll. I retired from the “work” force when we started a family, and have been a “stay at home” mother ever since.
WHAT I BELIEVE: People ask me - “What are your objectives?” and “Why do you want to be on the school board?”A clear voice – one that represents every aspect of our school and its students. Meaningful results involve the entire board, not just one member. We all must work together and arrive at conclusions that serve our student body as it was meant to. Academics – the most important direction of our school, needs to be consistently brought to the forefront of any issues. Activities – these are the backbone – are we serving our student body to the fullest extent that our school is capable of ? These are questions I ask myself regularly. Then of course, we have extra-curricular, which includes athletics – are our attentions fairly distributed? We all hear the old saying - “...nobody ever said life is fair...”. At school, and being on the board, this is one place where I can do my best to get there. And I have. And I will continue to do so.
Fiscal accountability: go to www.lpslions.org. Then on the left click on Board of Education and then on Budget Items. This is a summary of our 2012-2013 budget.
THE FUTURE: I am hoping to be re-elected to our school board for another 4 year term. I feel this is an ideal time-frame, to see implementation and fruition of goals set forth by our current board. Success is a never-ending effort, but it is attainable and in many ways is currently being enjoyed by our students. The challenges are not over, and of course, never will be. We must continue to work toward those goals – which include safety procedures, the continued application of up-to-date technology, and student achievement. These are required in order to produce a successful student body, reach our goals, and continue to build our community. Genuine words and actions – this is critical for a capable and productive school board.
WANT MORE? Call me – 402.234.2499
I sincerely thank you for your time. I truly do appreciate it!
Margaret Minchow
======================================
Trunk n Treat
Sunday, Oct 28th
United Methodist Church will be having Trunk n Treat
from 11:30 - 1:00pm on Sunday, Oct 28t
in the west church parking lot caddy corner from the front door of the church.
Please come and join in the festivities. Candy and treats will be handed out from the adults trunks of their car.
Please decorate for Halloween. Hot dogs, chips and drink will be served.
======================================
======================================
Author Joy Johnson
is speaking at the
Louisville Public Library
Saturday November 10th at 2pm.
She is the author of the
BOOB Girls
Burned Out Old Broads at Table Twelve
It is a quick read and laugh out loud funny book. The Library has a copy of the first book in the series of three.
=====================================
=====================================
Auditions for "Leon's" at Lofte Community Theatre
Manley, NE [October 10, 2012] - One of the Lofte's most-loved shows is coming back for Christmas. The original script and score of "Christmas at Leon's" was written by Lincoln radio personality Mick Kovar and Lofte Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Colbert. Originally staged in 2010, the world premiere of "Christmas at Leon's," met with thunderous applause and huge audiences for the entire run.
The opening scenes of "Leon's" find a bus full of holiday travelers whom are stranded in a blizzard at a strange cafe in the middle of Nebraska. Each character is struggling with their own personal issues, but with some angelic help, soon all find the true meaning of Christmas. "Leon's" has touching songs and an honest midwestern feel so often missing from modern scripts.
This is an open audition for all roles. Artistic Director Kevin Colbert encourages everyone who is interested in this production to please come to auditions on Monday, October 22 or Tuesday, October 23 at 7pm. Please bring a short, prepared song of no more than one minute in length. The rest of the audition will consist of cold readings from the script.
Rehearsals will begin in November and production dates are December 1, 2, 6-9 & 13-16. Those with questions should contact Kevin Colbert at LofteDirector@Lofte.com or call 402.234.2553 .
======================================
American Red Cross
Donate blood and give thanks to those who have served
OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 15, 2012) — During November, a time to give thanks and celebrate
Veterans Day, the American Red Cross invites eligible donors to give blood and honor those who
have served the country in the U.S. armed forces.
The Red Cross serves more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide, including
many Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Currently, all
blood types are needed, especially O negative, B negative and A
negative. Type O negative, the universal blood type, can potentially be
transfused to patients with any blood type, especially in emergency
situations.
Another way to honor military personnel is by making a contribution to
support Service to the Armed Forces, a Red Cross program that offers
resources for deployed service members and their families, provides
emergency communications, and supports hospital outreach and
veterans programs. Learn more at redcross.org.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities:
Cass County
Nov. 5 from 2:30-7 p.m. at Elmwood-Murdock High School, 300
Wyoming in Murdock, Neb.
Nov. 5 from 1-6:30 p.m. at Weeping Water High School, 204 W. O St.
in Weeping Water, Neb.
Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jeff Henry Chevrolet, 302 Fulton Ave.
in Plattsmouth, Neb.
======================================================
Christ Lutheran Church Soup Supper
November 3rd
Christ Lutheran Church is having their Annual Soup Supper/Bazaar
on Saturday, November 3rd from 4-7:30pm
There will be ALL YOU CAN EAT homemade soups, sandwiches, pies and desserts.
Christ Lutheran Church is located on HWY 66 between Louisville and Plattsmouth.
======================================================
======================================================
======================================
================================================
2012 Recycling Trailer Schedule
=========================================
Register to Vote!
--Mail-in voter registrations must be postmarked by Oct. 19. Registrations close at motor vehicle offices and state agencies on Oct. 19.
--In-person voter registration at county election offices ends at 6 p.m. Oct. 26.
To get your news paragraph included into next Louisville newsletter, please send your information to editor@louisvillenebraska.com by 8am on Tuesday morning.
Irina Harrington, Editor
Please, support the following businesses that sponsor Louisville Newsletter:
Community Sustaining Sponsors 2012
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
2012 Community Sustaining Sponsor
hh
hh
hh