In the three hours leading up to the end of early voting Monday, a line wrapped around the corner of the Monroe County Election operations site on South Walnut Street. Many voters held umbrellas or wore rain jackets to protect against the light drizzle. Others huddled together with family members or friends as the line continued to grow.
By the time polls were set to close at noon Monday, more than 40 people were still waiting to cast their vote, with even more people joining at the last minute. At exactly noon, an election supervisor positioned herself at the end of the line and turned away almost a dozen people who arrived late. They would have to vote tomorrow.
More than 30,000 Monroe County residents cast ballots during early voting, which started in Indiana on Oct. 8, according to Monroe County’s early voting dashboard. This number surpasses the number of people who voted early in 2020 (22,899) and 2016 (27,024). There are more than 95,000 registered voters in Monroe County.
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales announced Friday that more than a million Indiana residents voted early. In a press release sharing the numbers, Morales warned that some polling locations may have longer lines.
“Voting is one of the most impactful ways you can engage in civic responsibility and ensure that the values we uphold continue to shape Indiana’s future,” Morales said in the release. “If you find yourself waiting in line, please stay the course, as your vote is vital to our state and our country.”
Voting on Election Day will begin at 6 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. Registered voters can find their polling location by visiting indianavoters.in.gov.
Hilary Holbrow, a 41-year-old IU professor, was thinking about several issues as she waited to cast her ballot.
“Of course, I’m thinking about women’s reproductive justice,” Holbrow said. “I’m thinking about freedom of the press. I’m thinking about what’s happening in Indiana with people who are in state government who want to restrain academic freedom at IU.”
Before walking into the election operations building to cast her ballot Monday, Holbrow said she would encourage other Monroe County residents to turn out to vote.
“I would say it's the right of citizens in a democracy to be exercising what power we have over government decisions,” Holbrow said. “And everyone should take advantage of that.”
David Garner, 38, decided to vote early because he would need to stay home with his 5-year-old daughter on Election Day. As he stood in line around 9 a.m. Monday to cast his ballot, Garner said he planned on voting for Democrats.
“I really don’t want Donald Trump to be our president,” Garner said.
21-year-old IU student Luke Hamilton said he was excited to vote in his first presidential election. Originally from Crown Point, Indiana, he registered to vote in Monroe County this year and wanted to cast his ballot as soon as possible.
“A big thing for me is human rights and I think that for me I kind of see that the Harris party is more in line with what I’m looking for,” Hamilton said. “That’s exciting for me to have a candidate that I actually like and I feel that a lot of people in my generation like, but also that I feel like will protect me and my future.”
Lydia Milhouse and Katie Reeves, both 21-year-old IU students, arrived at the polling location together. Both said they would think about women’s reproductive rights and rights for members of the LGBTQ+ community when casting their votes.
“I just think a lot of things are on the line,” Reeves said. “And if a certain candidate gets elected I think we’re doomed.”
Reeves said they’d heard some IU students talk about the election.
“I’ve seen some people post on their stories about voting and how important it is,” Reeves said. “I’ve seen a lot of, mainly women, posting and talking about reproductive rights. That’s one of the main concerns for this election.”
“I’m scared,” Milhouse added.
As people exited the polling stations, many took selfies with stickers reading “I voted! Did you?”. Joe VanDeventer, the Republican candidate for county commissioner, stood with a campaign sign next to the line of voters and greeted them as they walked by. He said he has been out at the polls to meet people almost every day the past week.
Joe Davis, a write-in candidate for Monroe County Council, also handed out small flyers with information on his campaign to people in line.
As the doors of Election Central shut Monday afternoon, Davis grabbed a shopping cart decorated with his campaign signs, flowers and American flags that had been stationed outside the polling center, and pushed it away down North Walnut Street.
