<p><strong>A</strong> steady stream of voters walked into Mount Pleasant Christian Church on Saturday to cast their ballots a couple of days ahead of the primary election, while outside, about a dozen candidates and their supporters waved signs and greeted voters as they arrived at the church.</p>
<p>With a goal of having at least 10 percent of registered voters take part in the primary election in Johnson County, having people come out to vote early is essential, said Allen Distler, the site inspector for the vote center at the church.</p>
<p>The 10 percent mark is low, but would be higher than the turnout for the 2014 primary election, which was 9 percent in Johnson County.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>When the center opened Saturday morning, a line of about a dozen people were inside and ready to begin voting. By noon, nearly 150 people had voted that day, meaning that more than 500 ballots had been cast since the center opened on Thursday, Distler said.</p>
<p>Voters cited the convenience of avoiding long lines and trying to get to a vote center during Tuesday work hours as to why they were choosing to vote ahead of the primary election. Early voting continues this morning at the Johnson County Courthouse. Voters also said that the act of voting itself was something they felt compelled to do as part of their civic duty.</p>
<p>“It is important because we live in a country where we are allowed to vote,” Greenwood resident Eileen Hammond said.</p>
<p>Both local and national issues brought people to the voting center as voters had to decide between a trio of candidates in Republican primary races for Johnson County sheriff and U.S. senate.</p>
<p>Greenwood resident Ray Meredith said he wanted a candidate who would be able to effectively address the growing opioid epidemic.</p>
<p>On the national level, Ray and his wife, Julie Meredith, both said they voted for Rep. Todd Rokita in the Republican senate primary, citing his willingness to work with President Donald Trump as the reason they were supporting him.</p>
<p>With many Republicans in Congress not actively supporting Trump, there needs to be more senators willing to vote with him, Julie Meredith said.</p>
<p>“I want a candidate who will support the president we elected,” she said.</p>
<p>For another resident, her choice of candidate in the senate primary comes down to who she believes has a better chance of defeating Joe Donnelly.</p>
<p>Carla Goodwin, a Center Grove area resident, said she voted for Rep. Luke Messer in the senate primary. While she felt all three candidates would support Trump’s agenda, she thought that Messer was the most moderate of the three which would give him a better chance of winning in the general election.</p>
<p>Other voters decried how contentious the primary race had become.</p>
<p>“It has been a nasty race,” Center Grove area resident Marie Napier said.</p>
<p>She wants candidates to address where they stand on political issues and not get into a steady back and forth of attacks and name-calling.</p>
<p>“We need more common courtesy,” Napier said.</p>