Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 presidential election got off to a record-breaking start on Tuesday, with a steady line of voters at FairOaks Mall all day, including around 15 people who were still in line as the polls closed at 5 p.m.
A total of 729 voters cast their ballots on the first day of early in-person voting at the former Carson’s store at FairOaks Mall — an all-time record for the first day of early in-person voting, said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
By comparison, 264 people voted on the first day of early in-person voting for the 2016 presidential election, according to county records.
“I couldn’t have guessed that number if I tried, incredibly large for a first day,” Phelps said. “Sometimes we don’t even get 1,000 in the first week. So this is really impressive. …I don’t think there was ever really a lull the entire day.”
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The record turnout for the first day of early in-person voting mirrored similar trends in other parts of the state, which also saw a large number of voters casting their ballots, Phelps said.
Due to the steady line of voters at FairOaks Mall — which at one point stretched 60 to 70 yards from the entrance of the voting location — Phelps said poll staff placed additional social distancing markers outside the mall so people could maintain physical distancing guidelines while waiting outside to vote.
Early in-person voting will be held at the former Carson’s space 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 early voting will be held at the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
Despite the higher-than-anticipated turnout, everything ran smoothly at the former Carson’s store on Tuesday, Phelps said.
“I just have my hats off to the poll workers,” Phelps said. “They just worked. They worked really hard. I know it was a long day. I’m just really grateful for their efforts and for the voters who took advantage of (early voting).”
Currently, Phelps and his team are processing the final voter registration applications that came by Monday’s deadline.
As of Monday, there were 52,750 registered voters in Bartholomew County, but local election officials received more than 700 voter registration applications right before the deadline, Phelps said.
Typically, it takes at least three to five business days to process a voter registration application and mail the voter an acknowledgement card to the voter to verify the address.
Phelps said those voters should wait a week before showing up at the polls to allow the voter registration system to update.
“If they go to the polls right now, it’s not going to reflect their address, or the registration at all if they’re a brand new voter,” Phelps said. “I would tell those folks to wait a week before they go vote because it takes a little while for that verification process to take place.”
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Early in-person voting will be held at the former Carson’s space 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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