Ballot facts from the Marion County Election Board
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — The Marion County Election Board discussed ballot ratification and the 2024 general election vote center plan at the September board meeting. Here is what Indy Documenters learned:
Your ballot
Confirming the 2024 election ballot
Patrick Becker, director of elections said the ballot confirmation process began in January and is reviewed by full-time staff, a team of ten proofers, a quality assurance vendor based in Virginia called Engineering Software and Network Services, political chairpersons, and school boards.
The order of candidates on your ballot
You may wonder why your ballot candidates are not in alphabetical order. Jennifer Ping, Marion County Election Board vice chair, emphasized that the order of candidates is not arbitrary. Instead, it depends on the party that wins an individual county, as determined by the secretary of state.
“In Marion County, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state won the most votes or gathered the most votes from Marion County over the other Libertarian or even Republican candidates, Ping said.”
What are we voting for in November?
This November, you won’t only see presidential candidates on your ballot. Ballots for residents of Marion County consist of federal, state and local races, including school boards.
[Your guide to early voting in Indiana]
Polling location changes
Since the primary, there have been three changes to voting centers:
- JTV Hill Park is not available in Center Township. The new voting location is St. John AME Church at 1669 Columbia Ave.
- Instead of voting at Miracles and Blessings Church in Center Township, voters are asked to go to The Church of Glory at 3247 Forest Manor Ave.
- The Warren Township High School Warrior Dome is unavailable. The new voting location is Lakeside Elementary at 9601 E. 21st St.
Equipment testing
The board will begin logic and accuracy testing on the vote-by-mail machines. This assures all ballots are counted correctly.
Logic and accuracy testing is also completed for ballot marking devices. Ballot marking devices print the voter’s choices onto their ballot.
“That’s where voters go in and make their choice on the screen, and then their ballot spits out,” said Secretary Kate Sweeney Bell.
Marion County residents can attend a public test of the voting machines at 3737 E Washington St. on October 4.
What’s next?
The next Marion County Election Board meeting is at 9 a.m., Oct. 4, at the Election Service Center, 3737 E Washington St.
This brief is adapted from notes taken by Documenters Michael Nolan, Randy Wyrick, and Key King who covered the September Election Board meeting. Read more about what happened.
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