Voting begins in hospitals, military camps and prisons across Iraq

Iraqis began voting Monday in hospitals, military camps and prisons, a few days ahead of general elections to be held Dec. 15. At Baghdad's central Yarmouk hospital, election officials said the first of 1,500 patients began voting. Voting should end at 5:00 p.m. It will not be the only early voting ahead of general elections. On Tuesday, the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi voters living outside the country can begin casting their ballots at polling centers in 15 countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia. That voting also ends Thursday evening in each of those countries.

"The election process is running very well," said Yousif Ibrahim, director of the election center. "There is a big hall for patients who can easily walk and the election committee moves a box around to the wards where there are patients who can't leave their beds,” reports the AP. I.L.