The Bartholomew County Election Board on Thursday set in-person early voting locations for the June 2 primary.
In-person early voting will take place at Donner Center, 739 22nd St., and the Bartholomew County Courthouse, 234 Washington St., from May 26 to May 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
The final day of early voting will be June 1 at the courthouse from 8 a.m. to noon.
Phelps, however, has repeatedly urged voters to vote by mail in the primary to help prevent spreading COVID-19 in the community. As of Thursday morning, 1,068 Bartholomew County voters had submitted mail-in ballots for the primary — the most since at least 1984, according to local figures.
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"It’s a great turn out so far. It’s an encouraging sign," Phelps said.
Currently, county election officials are in the process of determining how many vote centers there will be on election day. Around 40% of local poll workers have dropped out due to concerns about the coronavirus. Normally, the 16 local vote centers require around 80 poll workers, but Phelps said there are currently an estimated 45 poll workers who have said they would still be interested in volunteering during the primary.
Additionally, Grace Lutheran Church, 3201 Central Ave., which has been the most popular vote center in recent elections, has notified county election officials that it will not be a vote center during the primary, Phelps said.
In the 2016 primary, 1,825 votes were cast at Grace Lutheran Church, by far the most of any vote center, Phelps said.
“Our election day locations, we decided that we’re not yet ready to make a decision because the COVID situation is still very fluid,” Phelps said. “We’ve had poll workers drop out like we expected. We’re thinking as of right now that we have enough for eight to nine vote centers. We had planned for 16, but based upon our poll workers, we’re at eight to nine right now.”
The election board will meet on May 14 to make a final decision on election day voting locations, Phelps said.
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To vote absentee in Bartholomew County, visit https://www.bartholomew.in.gov/clerk.html#vote-by-mail.
There you can download an application. Complete and return application so it is received by county election board at least 12 days before election day. For the June 2 primary, deadline for county to receive the completed form is 11:59 p.m. May 21.
Forms or more information may also be requested by calling the clerk’s voter registration office at 812-379-1604.
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