1:45 P.M. UPDATE:
Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps has released the following voter turnout numbers as of 1 p.m. today, by voting center. The totals represent about an 9 percent turnout so far for this primary. Totals include:
Bible Church of Columbus: 77
Donner Center: 312
Flintwood Wesleyan Church: 200
German American Bank: 118
Grace Lutheran Church: 296
St. John’s Masonic Lodge: 257
Terrace Lake Church: 108
The Commons: 112
Total overall voters with early voting: 2,742 (9 percent)
Total registered voters: 29,201
1:30 P.M. UPDATE:
Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps has released the following voter turnout numbers as of noon today, by voting center. The totals represent about an 8 percent turnout so far for this primary. Totals include:
Bible Church of Columbus: 59
Donner Center: 254
Flintwood Wesleyan Church: 152
German American Bank: 94
Grace Lutheran Church: 246
St. John’s Masonic Lodge: 210
Terrace Lake Church: 92
The Commons: 81
Total overall voters with early voting: 2,450.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Voting started off slowly early this morning in Columbus for the city primary, but Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps say the numbers are picking up as the morning progresses.
Phelps said the city’s eight voting centers have reported close to 1,000 votes in the past four hours, surpassing what Phelps said he expected.
“And we haven’t hit the lunch time rush yet,” he said.
Phelps said he had gone with his wife to vote at Grace Lutheran Church’s voting center this morning and there were six to seven people in line, an encouraging sign that the city vote could exceed the 3,000 or so election officials were predicting.
The good weather, sunshine and warm temperatures, is helping, he said.
There have been no issues with any voting machines and all poll workers who were assigned to a voting center had their sites up and running at 6 a.m., he said.
On the city’s west side, the German American Bank vote center on Jonathan Moore Pike had seen about 36 voters in three hours, said Gail Burkett, a Republican inspector. Workers said about 10 people an hour were trickling in to vote.
“Donner gets all the action,” said Sharon Krieg, another inspector at the site.
Incumbent Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and his wife Pam stopped in at the west-side vote center to talk with voters at about 9:30 a.m. Lienhoop, who is facing challenger Glenn Petri in the primary, was visiting different polling places this morning and “stopping in to say hello,” he said.
For more on voting, check back here and pick up a Wednesday Republic for results.
