Early voting numbers way up in Hamilton, Marion counties
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — The days of low voter turnout in Indiana may be over. If early voting is an indication, May 3 will be an extremely busy primary election day in this state.
In Hamilton County, early voting is almost triple what it was at this stage in 2012.
At the end of the day Tuesday, 754 people had voted early. That compares to just 259 in 2012.
Plus, the number of absentee ballots requested through the mail has almost doubled.
Beth and Greg Troxell came to the Hamilton County Courthouse to vote early because they plan to be out of town on Election Day.
“Going on a trip and wanted to be sure to vote,” said Beth, “so we really appreciate the opportunity to vote early.”
To them, voting is mandatory.
“I don’t think we’ve missed a primary or a general election in all the time we’ve been married, certainly and even as long as I was old enough to vote,” said Greg. “I think it’s an absolute necessity.”
Much of the interest here is fueled by the race for president.
“Now more than ever, it’s my job as an American,” said early voter Jerri Goodman. “It’s my duty.”
And the GOP nomination fight is the biggest draw. 75 percent of early voters so far have taken a Republican ballot.
Poll workers here have seen a steady stream of voters since early voting began last Tuesday. Election Administrator Kathy Richardson doesn’t mind.
‘When you have voter turnout, that’s a good thing,” she said. “We’ve put a lot of effort into it, the candidates put a lot of effort into it, and for the community to participate that’s a good thing.”
There may be long lines on Election Day but that’s not what motivates early voters we spoke to.
“I just want to make sure I get it done because it’s a commitment that I make to vote every season,” said Bernadette Usher.
Some of the turnout in Hamilton County is also due to school referendums and local races. Kathy Richardson calls it a perfect storm.
But there’s a big increase in early voting in Marion County, too. It’s up 90 percent over 2012 and it’s up 27 percent over 2008.
Most of the voters here are Democrats.