Early voting for Johnson County begins Monday

Election Day may be more than two weeks away, but voters don’t have to wait until then to cast their ballots.

Early voting for the May 2 municipal primary election starts at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin, and will continue 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 28. The courthouse will also be open this Saturday and on April 29 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on May 1, the day before Election Day, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Early voting will also take place this Saturday and from April 26 to 29 at the John R. Drybread Community Center in Edinburgh and at the White River, Greenwood and Trafalgar library branches, according to the Johnson County Clerk’s Office.

Voters will be required to bring their state of Indiana or U.S. government-issued photo identification, which must include their name, matching the name on the voter registration record, and an expiration date, said Trena McLaughlin, Johnson County Clerk.

Only Johnson County residents who live within city or town boundaries can vote this year, as there are no federal, state or county seats on ballots. Candidates are running for office in Franklin, Greenwood, Bargersville, Edinburgh, Whiteland, New Whiteland, Trafalgar and Prince’s Lakes for positions including mayor, city and town council, clerk-treasurer, city judge and city clerk.

The last municipal election year was 2019, when 2,701 people voted early in person, 264 mailed ballots and 19 people filled absentee ballots. Now, there are 81,033 Johnson County residents living in municipalities now registered to vote, compared to 69,332 four years ago, McLaughlin said.

With more contested races than in 2019, including a Republican primary for Greenwood Mayor between incumbent Mark Myers and challenger Joe Hubbard, McLaughlin said she expects a greater turnout this time around.

All contested races are in the Republican primary. Along with Greenwood mayor, those races include: Bargersville Town Council, Bargersville Clerk-Treasurer, Franklin City Council, Greenwood City Council, Greenwood City Judge, Prince’s Lakes Town Council, Trafalgar Town Council and Whiteland Town Council.

There are several uncontested Republican primaries, including for Edinburgh Town Council, Franklin Mayor, Franklin Clerk-Treasurer, Franklin City Judge, Greenwood Clerk, New Whiteland Clerk-Treasurer, New Whiteland Town Council, Prince’s Lakes Clerk-Treasurer, Trafalgar Clerk-Treasurer, and Whiteland Clerk-Treasurer elections.

No candidates have filed for the Edinburgh Clerk-Treasurer race, which means local political parties will select a general election candidate through a process known as slating this summer.

Although there are a handful of Democrats who have already filed for election in Bargersville, Greenwood and Whiteland, none of these candidates are contested in the Democratic primary. Voters can ask for a Democratic ballot in those three municipalities but not the others, McLaughlin said.

All candidates who win their primaries will advance to the general election Nov. 7, where they have the opportunity to be challenged by Democratic, Libertarian or independent candidates.

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