Fewer Johnson County vote centers to be used in May primary

Voters going to the polls in May will have fewer sites to cast their votes under the county’s amended vote center plan.

Four vote centers used for last year’s general election will not be included as options for this year’s primaries: Amity Volunteer Fire Department, Mt. Pleasant Christian Church, Rocklane Christian Church and the White River Township Trustee’s Office, according to the vote center plan adopted by the three-member Johnson County Election Board Thursday. The number of vote centers was reduced because it is not a county-wide election, said Trena McLaughlin, county clerk.

The rest of the sites used last year — a total of 15 — will continue to be used this year. The same four early voting sites — the Johnson County Courthouse and the White River, Greenwood and Trafalgar libraries — will also continue to be used, along with the three retirement community vote centers: Greenwood Village South, Otterbein SeniorLife and Compass Park.

The exact location for voting at the Greenwood Public Library is still being determined. It will be a meeting room at the library, but officials are still working to confirm which meeting room, said Amy Briggs, first deputy clerk.

Early voting for this year’s municipal primaries will begin on April 17 at the Johnson County Courthouse. Satellite early voting locations will open the following weekend on April 22, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 22 and April 29.

Satellite vote centers will also be open from April 26 to April 28, however, hours will be shorter than in years past. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of until 7 p.m.

The change results from concerns about lack of turnout. For the 2022 primary, the most voters the early voting locations ever had for the 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. hour was 14, McLaughlin said.

“We don’t have a lot of turnout from that last hour from 6 to 7 p.m,” she said.

The deadline to register to vote in this year’s primary election is by 4 p.m. April 3.