Johnson County Election Board approves updated vote center plan for May primaries

February 13, 2024

132701202_web1_20231108dj-wrl-noah-8 — A vote here sign outside the White River Library branch in Greenwood on Nov. 7, 2023.

Daily Journal file photo

Voters going to Johnson County polls this spring will have more places to vote than in recent years.

Nineteen locations will be used as vote centers on Election Day, May 7. Three locations — Mt. Pleasant Christian Church, Grace Assembly of God and Scott Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds — will feature two vote centers at the same location, making for a total of 22, according to the amended vote center plan unanimously adopted Tuesday by the three-member Johnson County Election Board.

All of the vote center sites have been used in past elections. Last year’s municipal election saw a decrease in vote centers due to the lack of a county-wide election and expected lower turnout.

This year though, officials expect to see a large turnout due to the presidential election. The last presidential primaries in 2020 saw a turnout of 21.5%, but this was affected by delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2016 primaries saw a turnout of 39.8%, data shows.

At the doubled-up locations, the vote centers will be spaced apart from each other. They will have the same amount of staffing and machines, said Trena McLaughlin, county clerk.

For example, Scott Hall will likely have one vote center at the north end of the building and another at the south end. Grace Assembly of God, on the other hand, would likely have the centers closer together due to the site’s layout, she said.

Early voting will begin April 9 at the Johnson County Courthouse, with the courthouse open Monday to Friday for the first two weeks. Starting April 27, the courthouse will be open on Saturdays for two weekends, with early voting coming to an end at noon, Monday, May 6.

Five satellite voting centers will open the week of April 22: the Franklin Parks & Recreation Center, the John R. Drybread Community Center, and the White River, Greenwood and Trafalgar libraries. These locations will also be open for two Saturdays, April 27 and May 4, before closing at 2 p.m. May 4.

The Franklin Parks & Recreation was not used as a vote center for early voting last year. It was added this year to alleviate some of the traffic the courthouse is expected to get, McLaughlin said.

“We can always direct them over to [Parks & Recreation] if it’s not as busy over there,” she said.

Three senior living community vote centers will be open from April 29 to May 1 for one day each. In order of opening, they are Greenwood Village South, Otterbein SeniorLife and Compass Park. These are the same centers that have been used in past elections.

The deadline to register to vote in this year’s primary election is midnight April 8 if doing so online at indianavoters.in.gov. However, the deadline is different if registering in person at Johnson County Voter Registration, located in the basement of the Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin.

Because the county government will be closed on April 8 due to the solar eclipse, the deadline to register in-person will be extended by one day, until the end of business on April 9, McLaughlin previously said.

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Johnson County will have six locations for early voting, three retirement community early voting centers and 19 Election Day vote center locations for the 2024 primaries. Three Election Day voting locations will have doubled up vote centers. Provided map

WHERE TO VOTE EARLY

Here is a look at when and where you can cast your ballot early. Early voting runs from April 9 to May 6:

Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin

» 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 9-12; April 15-19; April 22-26; April 29-May 3