While long lines at the polls are a hassle for most voters, they can present a bigger challenge to residents who are physically unable to stand in line for several hours.
Poll workers let one elderly man with a walker come to the front of the line at the former Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria in Greenwood during early voting Saturday afternoon. The wait at that polling location averaged about an hour-and-a-half, with the line extending outside and around the building.
Allowing someone to move ahead in line is a bit out of the ordinary, but so are the lengthy lines a week away from Election Day, Johnson County Clerk Susie Misiniec said.
She witnessed a similar scene at the Johnson County Courthouse, where about 25 voters allowed two elderly women with walkers to move ahead.
“I had been talking with the family of one of the ladies with the walker, and we were talking about being able to assist her if she needed it, and the voters in line then told me, ‘We want them to go right here in front of us,’” Misiniec said.
Some voters, however, were more than willing to wait out the long lines.
A 100-year-old voter declined to move to the front of the line Monday at Jonathan Byrd’s, said Greenwood Clerk Jeannine Myers, who was working as a poll worker at the time.
“I was impressed that he stood in line for two hours, and I was impressed people offered to let him move ahead,” she said.
Most voters should expect to wait in line on Tuesday, Misiniec said.
“People need to be patient and understand and realize, especially on Election Day, that they are going to have to wait a while,” Misiniec said.
All polling places must be accessible to all voters, including those with disabilities, according to federal law, and all of the polling locations in Johnson County meet that requirement, Misiniec said.
The goal is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote, and poll workers will do their best to accommodate all voters, Misiniec said. If someone needs assistance, they should speak with one of the poll workers, she said.
“For someone with a disability, workers would go out of their way to help them,” Misiniec said.
That’s one of the reasons why the county has set up voting machines at area retirement communities on specific days in recent years and this week. Voting is geared toward retirement community residents, but is also open to the public, she said.
“We want them to vote,” Misiniec said.
Turnout at the retirement communities had been about twice has high as previous years, said Myers, who had worked as a poll worker at Greenwood Village South Retirement Community on Monday before heading to Jonathan Byrd’s. About 300 people voted, compared to around 150 in prior elections, she said.
State voting guidelines recommend providing chairs for voters who can’t stand for a long time, Misiniec said.
The courthouse has several chairs, but how many chairs other voting sites have available depends on how they are setup, Misiniec said. For example, Mount Pleasant Christian Church doesn’t have as many chairs due to a lack of space, she said.
State law requires polling locations be handicap accessible, have a voting system ready for people with disabilities, such as for voters who are blind or use a wheelchair, have adequate room for wheelchairs and allow service animals.
In the rare circumstance of someone who can’t leave their car, poll workers would bring the voting machine to them, she said. A resident who needs assistance voting — such as if they have a disability or can’t read or write English — can bring someone to help or ask for help from poll workers.
Absentee ballots were another option for voters unable to wait through the long lines. They allow someone to vote without leaving their home, but the deadline to request an absentee ballot was Monday. More than 3,200 absentee ballots have been sent to residents, and about 2,100 have already been returned.
Voters have until noon on Election Day to return the absentee ballots.
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Here is a look at where and when you can vote early:
<strong>Today through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.</strong>
Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin
<strong>Today through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.</strong>
Former Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria, 100 Byrd Way, Greenwood
Franklin Community Center, 396 Branigin Boulevard (State Street), Franklin
Mount Pleasant Christian Church, 381 N. Bluff Road, Greenwood
Trafalgar Public Library, 424 S. Tower St., Trafalgar
<strong>Today, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.</strong>
Compass Park, formerly Indiana Masonic Home, 690 State St., Franklin
<strong>Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.</strong>
Mount Pleasant Christian Church
Trafalgar Public Library
Former Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria
Johnson County Courthouse
Edinburgh Public Library, 119 W. Main Cross St, Edinburgh
<strong>Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.</strong>
Johnson County Courthouse
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