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Clerk: Marion County votes might not be tallied on election night

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Marion County’s clerk cautioned Monday that the vote totals in Marion County might be delayed on election night.

Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge told I-Team 8 that a 2013 state law now requires all votes in Marion County be counted and tabulated in a centralized location. With a record turnout for early voting and high numbers expected on election day, Eldridge said her office may experience a delay in counting all the votes on election night.

This year’s election will mark the first presidential election on the ballot since the law took effect.

“Due to the law we are required to central count all the absentee ballots. However, we are going to do our best to get it done. We may not have the results at the end of the night but we are going to do our best to have them at the end of the night,” she told I-Team 8.

Russell Hollis, Marion County’s Deputy Clerk, added that the new law has also required the county to hire 600 additional election workers and volunteers.

“In addition to the potential delay in results it does create some inefficiencies because we are spending more money to run the election than we have in the past,” Hollis said, adding that the county needs roughly another 100 workers for election night.

Early voting continues in Marion County at the city-county building. Anyone interested in voting should bring with them a government-issued ID card.