CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Voters in northwestern Indiana’s heavily Democratic Lake County cast about the same number of early ballots before Tuesday’s election as they did in 2008’s record-setting year.

Lake County assistant elections director Nicholas Gasparovic says more than 36,000 people either voted in person before Monday’s noon deadline for early voting or mailed in absentee ballot for Tuesday’s election.

He says that’s virtually the same number who cast early votes in 2008, but he said this year’s early voting total is likely to grow.

While the deadline for early in-person voting was Monday, the deadline for mailed in ballots to be received is noon Tuesday.

In 2008, nearly a quarter of all Indiana voters cast early ballots in that year’s general election.

Posted 11/6/2012