Turnout is low, but election workers are seeing more early voting traffic than they typically would during a municipal election due to the Center Grove schools referendum.
More than 800 voters had cast ballots at the White River Public Library as of Friday morning, while only 32 had voted at the Trafalgar Public Library. Both sites are among the five that are open in the final days before the election.
Election Day is Tuesday, and there are only two days left if voters want to cast their ballot early. Several sites are open today, and the courthouse will be open until noon on Monday.
"We try to make it as convenient as possible for voters," said Trena McLaughlin, county clerk. "That way if something comes up on Election Day and someone can’t vote for whatever reason, they’ve already voiced their opinion."
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Voters will choose among Republican, Democrat and Independent candidates who they want to lead their cities and towns as mayors, clerk-treasurers or members of their city and town councils. The candidate pool was narrowed during the May primary election, when Republicans selected their top picks to advance to the upcoming general election.
Most voters in the county have decisions to make, except those who live in New Whiteland, which has no contested races, and some who live in unincorporated Johnson County.
In White River Township, voters who would not normally vote in a municipal election will be asked to head to the polls to decide whether to approve a Center Grove schools referendum.
About 2,500 people — or 2 percent of registered voters — had voted early by Friday, but given that turnout, McLaughlin suspects the county will exceed her initial 10 percent total turnout prediction, she said.
In the last municipal election, about 9.7 percent of registered voters cast ballots, but there were no public questions.
Nearly 1,200 people voted at the courthouse in the last two weeks. That vote center has been open daily since Oct. 21, and is averaging about 100 voters a day, said Reagan Higdon, first deputy clerk.
"The only day we didn’t break 100 was last Saturday when we had all that nasty rain," Higdon said.
McLaughlin said while there has been a steady flow of voters, she hasn’t received any complaints of people waiting in lines, and she doesn’t think it will be an issue on Election Day either.
Still, she recommends voters head south, where fewer people are casting ballots and lines are shorter. Vote centers on the northside of the county typically see the highest turnout, and it will likely be even higher this election due to the Center Grove Community Schools public question that is on the ballot.
If voters approve the referendum, it would raise property taxes in the area by 11.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value, and generate $24.8 million over the course of eight years starting in 2020. The goal of the referendum is to increase live monitoring of facilities, including a wall of footage at the Emergency Operations Center, set to open next September.
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A fairly recent change in state law makes it important for voters, especially those who vote straight ticket, to review their ballots and make sure they have made selections in every race before casting it.
Straight-ticket voting lets voters choose a party’s entire slate of candidates with a single ballot mark. But selecting the straight-ticket option on a ballot no longer records any votes in races where the voter is required to choose multiple candidates in a partisan race, such as with city and town council at-large races.
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Here is a look at when and where you can still cast your ballot early. The following locations are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.
Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin
Trafalgar Public Library, 424 S. Tower St., Trafalgar
Vineyard Christian Church, 512 S. Madison Ave, Greenwood
John R. Drybread Community Center, 100 E. Main Cross St., Edinburgh.
White River library, 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood
The Courthouse is also open for early voting from 8:30 a.m. until noon on Monday.
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Here is a look at how many voters had cast ballots at early voting sites by 11 a.m. Friday:
Johnson County courthouse;1,136
Vineyard Christian Church;191
John R. Drybread Community Center;105
White River library;823
Trafalgar Public Library;32
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LIST OF CANDIDATES, ISSUES; HOW-TO-VOTE GUIDE; FAQ
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