Voter turnout is surging in Indy after new vote centers opened
(MIRROR INDY) — A week before Election Day, the line to vote at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church snaked around metal barricades. Claudia Trefz held a flag signaling the end of the line.
“I am telling people to plan on two hours and hope it’s shorter,” said Trefz, a volunteer from the church. That was for the afternoon crowd; she said the line was even longer when the vote center opened.
After hearing this, three people turned around and headed back to their car.
But several Marion County residents interviewed by Mirror Indy said they chose to stand in long lines during early voting rather than wait until the uncertainty of Election Day. They wanted to make sure nothing stood between them and their right to vote.
Initially this year, when residents had access to only one vote center at the City-County Building, early voter turnout in Marion County lagged behind the last presidential election in 2020. But turnout is now surging after eight additional vote centers opened Oct. 26. More than 30,000 voters took advantage of the additional locations in the first three days, according to Marion County Election Board data.
Nowhere is that more evident than St. Luke’s church on the north side. It was the busiest location through the first three days of expanded early voting, according to election board data, followed closely by MSD Lawrence Education & Community Center.
That’s not surprising: Those two vote centers are located in parts of the city that saw some of the highest turnout during last year’s mayoral election.
“I’ve seen some walk away, not too many,” Trefz told Mirror Indy. “Some people just don’t have that much time in their day, so they’re going to come back.”
Marion County expanded early voting sites after a 2017 lawsuit accused the county election board of discriminating against African American voters. After former Democratic President Barack Obama carried the state in 2008, the state legislature passed a law to require a unanimous vote from county election boards before any county could establish satellite voting locations. In Marion County, the Republican members of the election board blocked those measures, according to an IndyStar investigation.
So in 2016, Indiana’s most populous county had only one early voting site: the City-County Building.
In 2020, after the expansion of early voting, more than 130,000 Marion County residents took advantage of the new options. That marked an increase of more than 180% from 2016.
This year, if voters continue to come out in high numbers, Marion County could meet or exceed the number of residents who voted early in 2020.
Long lines and extended hours
At the Lawrence Township vote center, 81-year old Gloria Garriott and her husband were told they would need to wait 90 minutes. The couple attempted to vote twice Monday, but were put off by the long lines.
“We came back today and I guess we are just going to have to wait,” Garriott said. “My sister was here Saturday and she had to wait two hours.”
Doretha Buckner’s wait was just shy of 90 minutes. She purposely arrived 20 minutes before the vote center opened at 11 a.m. and said there was already a line.
“There’s a guy telling you how long from each different spot, so it really wasn’t that bad,” she said.
Buckner said she likes having the option to vote early after experiencing long waits on Election Day in the past.
On Election Day, residents can vote at more than 180 locations throughout the county. But Dan Goldblatt, a spokesperson for the Marion County Clerk’s Office, said longer lines could still be a possibility.
“There are 642,000 registered voters in Marion County,” Goldblatt said. “If they all come out on Election Day, we’re ready for them. But if they all come out, then there will be some lines.”
As for the long waits during early voting, Goldblatt said he believes people are excited for the chance to vote early in a presidential election. He said long waits should be expected over the weekend, when more people have the chance to vote.
He also encourages people to take advantage of the extended hours until 10 p.m. Nov. 1-3 at the City-County Building. Officials extended the hours because in anticipation of more people coming downtown for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour.
Where and when to vote early
City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St., W122
- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 30-31
- 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 1
- 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 2-3
- 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 4
Other vote centers are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Nov. 3:
- Decatur Township Government Center, 5410 S. High School Road
- Franklin Township Government Center, 6231 S. Arlington Ave.
- Global Village at International Marketplace, 4233 Lafayette Road
- MSD Lawrence Education & Community Center, 6501 Sunnyside Road
- Perry Township Government Center, 4925 Shelby St.
- St. Luke’s UMC, 100 W. 86th St.
- Thatcher Park Community Center, 4649 W. Vermont St.
- Warren Township Government Center, 501 N. Post Road
Westside waits, but ‘not so bad’
Over on the west side, Anita Broadus knows about early voting.
The Avon resident already voted in Hendricks County but felt casting a ballot is so important that she’s been taking her family to the polls. She took her daughter to the Global Village at the International Marketplace voting center on Monday.
On Tuesday, she waited in line with her 24-year-old grandson, Isaiah Sparks, at the Thatcher Park Community Center. Sparks is from Speedway and said he doesn’t think he voted in the last presidential election but decided to this time because “my grandmother talked me into it.”
They decided to vote early, fearing waits could be long on Election Day. Broadus said she’s encountered long lines, but some have ebbed and flowed, growing much shorter after the initial rush when polls opened at 11 a.m.
Thatcher Park Manager Will Hollowell said waits have run about three hours consistently since the voting center opened over the weekend.
At the Global Village, some residents said they showed up as early as 9 a.m. expecting polls to be open sooner than they actually were.
Others drove by asking about wait times, only to move on after seeing the lines so they could make it to work on time.
Chariya Nam-Arsa, event manager for the Global Village, said wait times there have varied from 90 minutes to two hours. She encouraged voters to bring water and a chair if they need it.
No matter the wait, Broadus said it’s worth it. She’s especially concerned that young people, like her daughter and grandson, make it to the polls because the election affects their future.
“It’s not so bad,” Broadus said from the line. “You feel good after you do it. I feel good because my grandson said ‘yes.’”
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Reach Mirror Indy reporter Emily Hopkins at 317-790-5268 or emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis.