Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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As Goes Terre Haute...
Josh has been helpfully posting tips on counties to watch for important ballot measures and state races, but Maureen Groppe (a friend) suggests that the most indicative county of all may be Vigo County, Indiana. That county, which includes Terre Haute, has voted for the presidential winner in every election but two since 1892, Maureen writes in the Indianapolis Star.
Only six counties in the nation have voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1960, according to the Web site Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Of those six, Vigo County, which is about 70 miles southwest of Indianapolis, has voted closest to the national margin.
Maureen portrays the county as having a stable population, with a declining manufacturing base, plenty of Reagan Democrats, a notable federal prison and lots of religious institutions and a few colleges.
One tidbit at the end is interesting. She interviews a person on line for early voting who says he hasn't been able to pick his choice for president.
I'm not someone who is going to make fun of undecided voters (I'm sure we've all heard "what planet are they on?" comments in recent days). And yet, if you're undecided -- why vote early?
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
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