Dozens of people line up outside of the Johnson County Courthouse on Friday to cast their votes ahead of the November election.
Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
Early voting continues to be steady across Johnson County, election officials say.
More than 7,000 voters have cast ballots so far ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. Several races are likely contributing to the steady numbers, with U.S. President, Indiana Governor, Indiana Attorney General, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, state representatives in the House and Senate, the county council, county commissioners and local school boards on the ballot.
For the first two weeks of early voting, from Oct. 8 to 18, 5,926 voters cast ballots at the Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin. The four-day period of Oct. 8 to 11 saw 2,619 voters, while the five-day period of Oct. 14 to 18 saw 3,307, data from Johnson County Voter Registration shows.
As of Monday morning, Johnson County surpassed the total number of early votes cast in the May primary. There were 6,060 early votes cast in May, records show, and at least 1,140 voters cast ballots between 8 a.m and 12 p.m. Monday.
As of 12 p.m. Monday, the number of ballots cast was at least 7,066 — and expected to grow.
“It’s been pretty busy,” said Trena McLaughlin, county clerk.
The increased turnout comes at the same time early voting expanded beyond the Johnson County Courthouse. Six satellite voting locations opened Monday:
- Franklin Parks & Recreation Center, 396 Branigin Blvd.
- John R. Drybread Community Center, 100 E. Main Cross St., Edinburgh
- Clark-Pleasant library branch, 350 Clearwater Blvd., Whiteland
- Trafalgar library branch, 424 S. Tower St.
- White River library branch, 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood
- Greenwood Public Library, east door, 310 S. Meridian St.
Monday’s voter turnout becomes more extraordinary when the operating hours of the seven early votes sites are factored in. The courthouse had been open since 8 a.m., while the six satellite sites had only been open since 10 a.m. before the number of voters surpassed 1,000.
Election officials are happy to see the high turnout. The primary saw a low turnout of 16.2%, a number not seen in a presidential primary since the 2000 election, records show.
“The voters are getting out and voting, which is what we want. So I think it’s going to continue up to and including Election Day,” McLaughlin said.
With how turnout has been so far, McLaughlin thinks its possible voter turnout for this election could break records.
Historical data shows that a record 48,288 voters took part in in-person early voting in 2020, though the year was unusual due to the coronavirus pandemic. 2020’s numbers beat 2016’s near record of nearly 35,000 votes cast during in-person early voting.
Despite the large number of voters, there have been very few issues to report, McLaughlin said. What issues have come up had to do with people showing up to vote who aren’t registered, people who registered too late, or people whose voter registration applications may still be pending, she said.
Pending applications can occur for a variety of reasons. If someone registers online or mailed in their application, they’re in a pending status for seven days, McLaughlin said.
“So that’s confused a few voters, but they’ve been able to come back,” she said. “If they get their acknowledgement in the mail from us, then we can auto activate them once we get once they get that [so they can vote].”
Looking ahead, the six satellite sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for the next two weeks. The courthouse remains open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays until Nov. 1, and voters will be able to vote at the courthouse for the last day of early voting on Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Early voting will again expand later this week with the addition of Saturday voting. This Saturday, along with Nov. 2, voters will be able to cast ballots at all seven early voting sites from 8 a.m to 3 p.m.
Three retirement communities will also have vote centers later this month: Greenwood Village South on Oct. 28, Otterbein SeniorLife in Franklin on Oct. 29 and Compass Park in Franklin on Oct. 30.
McLaughlin encourages voters to take advantage of early voting while they can, she said.
To vote, people need to be registered and bring a valid driver’s license or state-issued identification card. For more information, call the voter registration office at 317-346-4467.
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