Early in-person voting at the former Carson’s store at FairOaks Mall for the Nov. 3 presidential election continued at a historic pace on Monday, with the highest number of votes cast in one day since early voting started.
A total of 893 votes were cast at FairOaks Mall on Monday, raising the five-day total to 3,959 since early in-person voting started on Oct. 6, said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
Additionally, 4,393 voters have returned absentee-by-mail ballots as of Tuesday morning, though that figure does not include any ballots sent back over the weekend because the U.S. Postal Service did not deliver mail on Monday due to Columbus Day.
With 21 days to go before Election Day, 8,352 voters in Bartholomew County have already cast their ballots, or roughly 15.5% of registered voters in the county.
A total of 59.8% of registered voters in Bartholomew County cast ballots in 2016.
Phelps said it was “another strong day of voting.”
“The fact that we had that high of a number I think just speaks volumes about this election. We’re still headed for a record turnout and a record pace,” Phelps said.
Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 presidential election will be held at the former Carson’s space at FairOaks Mall weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Oct. 30.
Additionally, early voting will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the former Carson’s store the two Saturdays prior to Election Day — Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 — and from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 2. No voting will be held at the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
Lines so far have consistently been about 25 to 30 minutes long, Phelps said.
On Monday, about 80 to 100 people had already lined up to vote outside the mall at 7:30 a.m. — a half hour before the polls opened, Phelps said.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Phelps said. “As soon as I walked out of the building and saw that line, I knew it was probably going to be another historic day for voting.”
Due to the higher-than-expected turnout, election officials will likely add additional voting machines to the seven already at FairOaks Mall within the next week.
Typically, turnout for early in-person voting grows over the course of the early voting period, often peaking the two Saturdays before Election Day, as well as the week before the election, Phelps said.
The highest number of early, in-person votes ever cast in Bartholomew County in a single day was 1,743 the Saturday before Election Day in 2016, Phelps said.
“With this turnout that we’re seeing and judging by the past, I just think the 24th, the first Saturday (of early voting) and then that final week and the final Saturday, I think we’re easily looking in the thousands each day, so they’re probably going to have to probably have more machines set up by then.”
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Early in-person voting will be held at the former Carson’s space at FairOaks Mall weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Oct. 30.
Additionally, early voting will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the former Carson’s store the two Saturdays prior to election day — Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 — and from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 2. No voting will be held at the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
Visit indianavoters.in.gov to check your registration status, request an absentee by mail ballot and see who is on the ballot.
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