More than 25,000 Bartholomew County residents are likely to cast their ballots in this year’s general election, county clerk Jay Phelps said.
If that prediction for Nov. 6 turns out to be true, it will break the county’s record turnout for a midterm election, approaching turnout levels for a presidential election, he said.
As of Thursday morning, 3,092 county residents had already voted in Bartholomew County, Phelps said. That is a 258 percent increase from the same point in time during the 2014 midterm, when 864 early ballots had been cast.
The clerk’s prediction is also based on the nearly 1,300 applications for mail-in ballots. Half of those requesting mail-in ballots have already filled them out and returned them to the courthouse, he said.
One significant factor driving higher turnout numbers is the race between incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and GOP challenger Mike Braun, Phelps said.
Since Donnelly is considered politically vulnerable and Republicans only have a two-person majority in the Senate, the race is being widely reported as one of the most crucial contests in the country.
The midterm election is also considered an assessment of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Bartholomew County’s record turnout of 23,949 for a midterm election was set in 1982. That election featured an exceptionally tight race between incumbent Republican Sheriff Jimmie McKinney and Democrat Rick Hill, as well as blue-collar frustration of high unemployment.
Opportunity to vote early expands this weekend.
Registered Bartholomew County voters can cast ballots for the Nov. 6 midterm general election from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Bartholomew County Courthouse, 234 Washington St. Saturday voting will also be available at the courthouse on Nov. 3.
Early voting is available at the courthouse from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through noon Nov. 5.
Starting next week, early voting extends to three satellite locations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 3. The Columbus locations are:
Donner Center, 739 22nd St., using the back entrance at 19th and Sycamore streets.
German American Bank, 2310 W. Jonathan Moore Pike.
Flintwood Wesleyan Church, 5300 25th St.
Based on current voting activity, it appears that half of all voters in the Columbus area will cast their ballots early, Phelps said.
But that shouldn’t be interpreted as any indication of the public’s mood or ideology, the clerk said. Instead, Phelps said it simply shows a growing number of Bartholomew Count residents prefer the convenience of choosing their own day, time and location for casting their ballots.
When casting early ballots, voters will need a government-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license or passport, county elections supervisor Shari Lentz said.
On Nov. 6, there will be 18 vote centers located throughout Bartholomew County that will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Those locations have not changed since the 2016 presidential election.
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Hope Town Council election preview. A5
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