Voters are checked in during the first day of early voting for the May primary election in April. Early voting for the November muncipial election will begin on Monday.
Daily Journal File Photo
With Election Day only weeks away, Johnson County residents who live within municipal boundaries can start casting their ballots Monday.
Early voting for the November municipal election is set to begin at the Johnson County Courthouse on Monday and will run until Nov. 6. The courthouse will be open to voters weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 3, Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. through Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
Voting will also take place at several other locations around the county starting next weekend.
The White River Public Library, Greenwood Public Library, Trafalgar Public Library and John R. Drybread Community Center in Edinburgh will open as weekend early voting sites on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. They will also be open for early voting from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3.
Three retirement communities — Greenwood Village South Retirement Community, Otterbein SeniorLife Community and Compass Park — will also be early voting sites. They will be open one day each on Oct. 30, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively.
There are no federal, state or county seats in contention, so voters must reside within their city or town limits in order to cast a vote in this election, said Trena McLaughlin, Johnson County clerk.
Seats are up for grabs in Franklin, Greenwood, Whiteland, New Whiteland, Edinburgh, Bargersville, Trafalgar and Prince’s Lakes. These include positions such as mayor, city and town council, clerk-treasurer, city judge and city clerk.
Contested races include Greenwood City Council Districts 3 and 4, along with at-large; and at-large town council seats for Bargersville, Edinburgh, Prince’s Lakes and Whiteland.
Voters must bring their Indiana or U.S. government-issued photo identification, listing their name that matches the one listed on the voter registration record, and also has a valid expiration date, McLaughlin said. The most common identifications used are Indiana driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, military IDs and Indiana photo ID cards.
Voters will also see a slight change to the voting machines. They are now placed in new, larger cases which contain the voting machines and the verified paper audit trail systems, or VVPATs, to make it simpler for poll workers to assemble them at voting centers. VVPATs are designed to show voters who they voted on paper before sending in their vote on the machine, essentially a voter’s “double-check” to make sure their vote is counted accurately.
The cases were also designed to make it easier for voters to see their recorded vote because it allows the VVPAT and the voting machine to be laid at the same angle.
“It’s all one plug,” McLaughlin said. “We had our poll worker training this week and they all seemed to love them. We’re pretty excited to use the new cases and we think it will make it easier on everyone.”
All of the cases are handicap-accessible, whereas in the past they have had to use specific cases that were labeled for handicapped voters. They made their official debut during a public test of election equipment in September.
There will be 110 total machines in the county used for Election Day, and 28 of them will be utilized for early voting.
During the 2019 municipal election, only 4,089 people voted so long lines are not anticipated, according to the clerk’s office. Voters can check their eligibility to vote by calling 317-346-4450.
“If you are not sure if you are eligible to vote in this election, please call our office and we will be happy to look up your name and check your eligibility,” McLaughlin said.
To read the Daily Journal’s coverage of the contested races this fall, and to stay up-to-date with the latest election news, go online to dailyjournal.net/local/elections/.
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin
- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30-Nov. 3
- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 (Saturdays)
- 8:30 a.m. to noon Nov. 6
White River Public Library, 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood
- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 (Saturdays)
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1-3
Greenwood Public Library (East door), 310 S. Meridian St., Greenwood
- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 (Saturdays)
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1-3
Trafalgar Public Library, 424 S. Tower St., Trafalgar
- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 (Saturdays)
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1-3
John R. Drybread Community Center, 100 E. Main Cross St., Edinburgh
- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 (Saturdays)
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1-3
Greenwood Village South Retirement Community, 295 Village Lane, Greenwood
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 30
Otterbein SeniorLife Community, 1070 W. Jefferson St., Franklin
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 31
Compass Park/Indiana Masonic Home (Events Hall), 690 State St., Franklin
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 1
Source: Johnson County Voter Registration
