Number of voters overwhelms Internet, pauses voting at one site
For about 30 minutes, voting paused at Greenwood Christian Church when the electronic poll books used to look up voter information stopped working.
Poll workers were forced to send people to nearby voting centers at Grace Assembly Church and the Nest, poll inspector Angie McClelland said.
“I don’t think anyone anticipated quite so many folks coming out today,” she said. “It’s been awesome, but we’ve had a long line since we opened, and the system has been running slow.”
Technicians with the clerk’s office were sent to the church to figure out the problem. The electronic polling books were running on the wireless network at the church, and the increased traffic throughout the morning overwhelmed the system, McClelland said.
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Problems with the voting center’s two registration book tablets started about 8:30 a.m., McClelland said. One would start delaying, slowing down and disconnecting from the wireless system, then once it was up and running again, the second would crash.
Finally, both tablets stopped working completely about 11 a.m., McClelland said.
“We had a few unhappy customers when we had to send them to another polling site, but most people understood,” she said.
Technicians rushed to the church and installed a private wireless hotspot, which connected the voting center to a more stable network. Since going up shortly before noon, it has worked without issue, McClelland said.
“We’re pleased with how we’re moving people along. Hopefully it goes smoothly from here,” she said.
Long line at Center Grove area vote center
Voters wanting to cast a ballot at a popular Center Grove area vote center waited about a half hour on Tuesday morning.
The line of voters was about 40 people long at Mount Pleasant Christian Church shortly after 9 a.m., meaning voters had to stand in line for about 30 minutes before being able to cast their ballot.
Some would-be voters returned to their vehicles after seeing how long the wait was.
Center Grove area resident Liza Griffith said getting through the line took her about 25 minutes. She arrived to vote shortly after 8 a.m. and was out by 8:30 a.m.
While the line was longer than most other vote centers, residents waiting said they were glad the line didn’t compare to the 2016 general election, when the wait to vote at the church was more than three hours.
“This is a piece of cake,” said Center Grove area resident Nansie Whitt, who was waiting in line with her 5-year-old daughter.
Debbie Waltke said she waited to vote until this morning because that time fit her schedule best. Her husband took part in early voting during the weekend and was able to avoid any lines.
She joked that an “I told you so” might be coming her way.
Voter: Time in military provides meaning to voting
For one military veteran, his time spent serving his country is a reminder of the importance of voting.
Center Grove area resident John Foley spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force and said that his time in the military and the National Guard gave him a different perspective on the importance of voting and exercising his rights as a U.S. citizen.
“This is our civic duty,” he said. “We shouldn’t take these freedoms for granted.”
Foley initially joined the military for the education benefits, but quickly found joy in serving his country.
While in the National Guard, he was sent to help residents in disaster areas. Seeing people work side-by-side to protect their homes and properties showed him how people have so much more in common than the issues that sometimes divide them.
“I cherished the time I was in there,” he said. “It taught me to respect the freedoms we have.”
Since then he has always made sure to take part in both primary and general elections.
When evaluating candidates the past couple months, the quality he said he was looking for the most was integrity, which he said has been lacking in the country’s leaders.
Exercising her right to vote
Voting is a responsibility that every American needs to take advantage of, one voter said.
That was the message that Amy Ulerick’s parents stressed as she was growing up. So coming out to vote in Tuesday’s primary election was never a question.
“I’ve always voted. (My parents) instilled that belief in me. If you have an opinion, you need to do that,” she said.
On top of the civic duty that Ulerick felt, she was also intrigued by the important races in this year’s election. The Franklin resident wanted to be sure to cast her vote for county sheriff. Though she was confident in who she would vote for in most races, she did admit that her pre-election research didn’t go as far as she’d like.
“I meant to do a little more on a few of the people, but things got in the way,” she said. “I think people go into this not knowing what all of the candidates stand for, and these primary elections make a difference. You need to know who you’re voting for.”
Ulerick managed to get in line during a lull, and was finished voting in about 10 minutes. Even if it would have been longer, she still would have waited it out.
“It’s nice to see the lines so long. I didn’t think so many people would be out,” she said.
20 years and still going strong
Election Day is always long for one Johnson County resident, who has worked to keep elections running for 20 years.
As the inspector for the vote center at the White River Branch of the Johnson County Public Library, Ron Goins arrived at his post at 5 a.m to get the vote center open and expected to get home as late as 9 p.m, after a trip to the Johnson County Courthouse, he said.
After working in 10 elections, what keeps Goins coming back is a desire to help his community and all the people he gets to meet being part of the election process, he said.
“I’m retired, and this is something I can do to give back to the community,” he said.
Before Election Day, Goins wasn’t sure what type of voter turnout to expect, but said the amount of voters coming out to the polls was similar to past non-presidential primary elections.
About 25 people were lined up when polls opened at 6 a.m., and once those voters were through, the center still had a steady flow of people coming in. The typical rushes are about 9 a.m., after parents have dropped kids off to school, and again about 4 p.m., once people are beginning to get off of work.
Gauntlet of signs
Voters aiming to cast their ballots at the White River Branch of the Johnson County Public Library first had to walk through a line of signs and campaigners.
About 15 people and twice as many signs lined the sidewalk leading into the library about 7:30 a.m. The campaigners greeted residents and thanked them for coming out to vote, hoping that their sign and last minute reminder might swing a few votes toward their preferred candidate.
Andy Harris, a childhood friend of sheriff candidate Stoney Vann, was at the library right at 6 a.m. when the polls opened and planned to stay until 6 p.m. Harris said he knows what the race means to his friend and he wanted to support him.
For Sandy Horvath, whose son Scott Horvath is running for state representative, this is the first time she’s ever campaigned.
“I want to be here for him,” she said.
She brought a chair, lunch and snacks to get through any lag in voters. She enjoyed meeting fellow campaigners and people coming to vote, Horvath said.
Tonisha Jarrett came to the vote center to support friend and fellow attorney Ryan Dillon, who is running for circuit court judge. Participating in the election process, by both voting and campaigning, is an important right for Americans to exercise, she said.
Voter: Research was key to get the best candidates
Before one Greenwood resident went to vote in the primary election on Tuesday morning, she made sure to do as much research as she could about the local candidates.
That meant reading everything she could about candidates in races for sheriff, county commissioner, county council and state representative, and setting aside time to go to campaign events to meet as many of those candidates as she could in person, Rita Smith said.
Her goal was to be prepared before coming to vote in the primary election. Taking part in the primary election is important because it set the slate for the general election, she said.
“I want to get the right candidates in the Johnson County election,” Smith said.
Honesty and the ability to follow through on their campaign promises are the qualities she said she was looking for in candidates.
When Smith arrived at the Community Church of Greenwood about 6:10 a.m., a location she chose because it was between her home and workplace, there was a line of about 10 people.
About 35 people voted in the first half-hour that vote center was open, election officials said.
← Compiled by reporters Ryan Trares and Jacob Tellers
