Donner Center will be the location for early voting in Bartholomew County this spring, with the exception of the two Saturdays before the May primary.
The decision was reached unanimously Monday by the Bartholomew County Election Board after Columbus quoted its price to rent Donner during a 28-day period from April 9 through May 6.
The county will pay $4,900 to the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department to rent the space at Donner for early voting, Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz said.
That amount is consistent to what the city charged for using Nexus Park for the same purpose in recent years, Lentz said.
Both Donner Center and the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building will be open for casting early ballots the two Saturdays before the May primary. Voting hours on April 27 and May 4 will be 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. The last day for early voting at Donner only will be from 8 a.m. until noon on Monday, May 6.
By the time early voting gets underway, it’s likely that most – if not all – of the parks staff at Donner will have moved into new offices at NexusPark, she said.
For decades, Donner has been among the top three locations for voting due to its central location. Nevertheless, several local residents have become accustomed to going to NexusPark for early voting. Lentz expressed concern that some voters might be unaware that early voting is taking place at Donner during the May primary.
While ongoing construction at NexusPark essentially removed the complex from consideration for early voting, the election board has received permission to use that location as one of 14 vote center locations open on May 7. The cost of renting space for electronic voting setup at Nexus on May 6, as well as for casting votes on May 7, is $1,000, Lentz said.
