All registered voters in Johnson County are eligible to cast ballots this year and make decisions about who will lead some of the county’s highest courts, the state and the nation.
Just two months after the last election, the filing period kicks off this week for those who wish to become superior court judges or snag a seat in the House or Senate. Also up for election this year are county commissioners, county council at-large members, treasurer, coroner, surveyor and school board members.
Interested candidates can start filing the necessary paperwork this week ahead of the 2020 presidential election, which county election officials have predicted for more than a year will produce a massive turnout.
All candidates hoping to run for office can pick up an application at the county’s voter registration office, which is located in the basement of the Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryRepublican and Democrat candidates have to file to seek office between Wednesday and noon Feb. 7, said Reagan Higdon, first deputy clerk. The parties will select their candidates in the primary election on May 5.
Any resident who wants to seek office as an independent candidate has until July 1 to file to be on the ballot in November. Those candidates face different requirements than major party candidates, Higdon has said.
Locally, 25 seats are up for grabs, more than half of which are on school boards. Other county offices that will appear on the ballot this year include: three superior court judges; treasurer; coroner; surveyor; county commissioners in districts 1 and 3; and three Johnson County Council at-large members.
At the state level, voters will decide who they want to represent them at the Statehouse starting with the 2021 legislative session; four House seats and two Senate seats will appear on local ballots, including House District No. 58, which long-time Rep. Woody Burton has said he will not seek re-election to.
Burton, 74, of Whiteland announced in November that he will retire at the end of his current term in 2020. He has served in the Indiana House since 1988.
Also at the state level, candidates running for governor can start filing their paperwork on Wednesday, but need to collect at least 500 signatures in each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts to get their name on the ballot.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced in July he would seek re-election. Candidates for governor have until noon Feb. 4 to submit the required signatures.
At the national level, Johnson County voters will head to the polls to decide who will represent Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District in Washington, D.C. The seat is currently held by Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana, who is completing his second term.
They will also be tasked with deciding who they want to be President of the United States for the next four years.
The Democratic primary is expected to draw a high number of voters to the polls, as several Democrats are seeking the presidential nomination. President Donald Trump is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Some offices will only appear on ballots during the General Election in November, including all school board seats, which are non-political, and lieutenant governor, who is selected by governor candidates. The state parties will nominate candidates for the offices of attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.
Local voters will use all new equipment this year, similar to what those who voted during last year’s municipal elections experienced. The new equipment will feature a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail. Last year’s system allowed poll workers and election officials to view a printable audit of each ballot cast, whereas the new system will allow the voter to see that audit as well.
The county is spending about $1.5 million on services and equipment, including 320 voting machines. The Infinity Voting Machine with VVPAT — Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail — is the newest system MicroVote has to offer, and was certified by the state in July. The contract between the county and the company will be for four years.
MicroVote, an Indianapolis-based vendor, said the equipment would be delivered in early February, which will give them ample time to prepare it for the May primary election.
Also on the county’s to-do list in the coming months is finding and securing at least 24 vote centers and enough poll workers to staff them.
There will be more opportunities to vote early during this year’s elections, and County Clerk Trena McLaughlin will continue to encourage voters to take advantage of that option, she has said.
Voter turnout is on the rise. During the last presidential election, about 40 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots during the primary, and 63 percent voted in the general election. Election officials expect an even higher turnout this year due to surprisingly high turnouts during the last two general elections.
In November, voter turnout was more than double what county election officials predicted. More than 16 percent of registered voters cast ballots, up from 9.7 percent during the last comparable election in 2015. And in 2018, 50 percent of voters cast ballots during the General Election, and that number would have been higher had the election equipment worked properly. That’s compared to only 23 percent during the last midterm election in 2014.
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The following offices are up for election this year:
Local:
Superior Court 2 judge
Superior Court 3 judge
Superior Court 4 judge
County treasurer
County coroner
County surveyor
County commissioner district 1
County commissioner district 3
County Council at-large (3 seats)
Republican precinct committeemen for all precincts
School boards (General Election only):
Center Grove School Board at-large (2 seats)
Clark-Pleasant School Board Pleasant Township
Clark-Pleasant School Board at-large
Edinburgh School Board Town of Edinburgh (2 seats)
Franklin Community School Board City of Franklin (2 seats)
Franklin Community School Board Franklin Township
Greenwood School Board district 1
Greenwood School Board district 3
Nineveh-Hensley Jackson School Board Nineveh Township
Nineveh-Hensley Jackson School Board at-large (2 seats)
State:
Governor
Lieutenant governor (General Election only)
Attorney General
Superintendent of Public Instruction
State Representative district 47
State Representative district 58
State Representative district 65
State Representative district 93
State Senator district 36
State Senator district 37
Republican State Convention delegate district 1 (16 seats)
Republican State Convention delegate district 2 (16 seats)
Republican State Convention delegate district 3 (9 seats)
Republican State Convention delegate district 4 (10 seats)
Democrat State Convention delegate at-large (41 seats)
Federal:
President of the United States
U.S. Representative district 9
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Here is a look at the filing window for all open seats on the ballots this election:
Major party candidates can file between Wednesday and Feb. 7;
Independent candidates can file between Wednesday and July 1
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