Riley Knight did not see the sun on Election Day. He was busy working the polls.
The 21-year-old Champaigne, Illinois, native walked into the Indiana Memorial Union at 5 a.m. Tuesday to start his shift. Campus was still dark, and there was still an hour before the polls opened, but a line of students was already waiting. Knight would not emerge again until after the polls closed at 6 p.m.
Knight is part of a wave of young people who decided to offer their time at the polls this year. He believes the future of American democracy is at stake in this election.
Monday, he said he was filled with both excitement and dread. Two hours after the polls closed and the presidential race grew narrower and narrower, it was mostly dread.
As a senior finishing up a policy analysis major, Knight has spent a lot of his time at IU studying the U.S. government and thinking about how democracy works – and how it could work better.
“I really have a lot of faith that our system of government can work as long as people are engaged and people are looking out for the system and do their best to uphold shared democratic values,” he said the day before the election, his voice earnest. “Voting is such an important part of that.”
Related:Good afternoon! We're back with more election results:
Monroe County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees
April Hennessey, Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, Keith Klein and Jacinda Townsend Gides won the elections for Board of Trustees seats in district 2, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, for Monroe County Community School Corporation.
State Senate District 44
Republican State Senator Eric Koch has been reelected, defeating Democratic opponent Cinde Wirth.
In all five counties in the district, he received 73% of the votes with about 85% of the results reported, according to IndyStar. The five countines included are Monroe, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence and Bartholomew.
He received around 60% of Monroe County votes, according to unoffical results from the Monroe County Elections Board.
Related:👋 We're logging off for the night. Thanks for following along with us all day. We'll be back with you later this morning.
The District 44 Indiana State Senate election has not yet been as of 1:25 a.m. this morning.
Of the ballots already cast in the five counties that District 44 covers, Koch is leading with 73% against Wirth with 27%.
The Monroe County Election Board said Koch received 60.4% of the vote, whereas Wirth had 39.6%. Jackson and Lawrence counties are still counting ballots.
District 44 includes Monroe County, Jackson County, Bartholomew County, Brown County and Lawrence County.
Related:Bloomington and Monroe County were relatively quiet this Election Day. Lines were generally short. Polling places closed on time. No major disruptions were reported.
During the 12 hours polls were open in Indiana on Election Day, the Indiana Daily Student sent reporters out to some of the 28 polling locations in Monroe County and around IU's campus. Here's what they saw.
Related:IU experts discussed issues including voter turnout, key contentious states, implications of local races and the divisiveness of this election from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. Tuesday in a Zoom news briefing hosted by IU spokesperson Chuck Carney.
Related:Democratic incumbent Julie Thomas will remain the Monroe County Commissioner for District 2 after receiving around 99% of the votes.
While she was uncontested on the ballot, Green Party candidate Randy Paul ran a strong write-in campaign to get less than 1% of votes.
Thomas, who was first elected in 2012, made a commitment to protecting the environment and increasing civic engagement, according to the Monroe County Democratic Party website.
Democratic incumbent Penny Githens ran unopposed for Monroe County Commissioner for District 3.
She has served as a commissioner since 2019, when she was sworn in to replace Amanda Barge after sexual assault allegations came out against Barge leading to her resignation.
Githens plans to continue working on strengthening fire protection, solid waste management and crisis intervention and diversion, according to her campaign website.
Related:Geoff Bradley, who served as a deputy prosecutor in Monroe County for 14 years, has been elected to the Division 1 court. Prior to those 14 years, Bradley served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Ohio.
Bradley received around 61% of the vote.
He’ll serve for a term of six years.
Kara Krothe, who served for 16 years as a public defender in Monroe County, has won her election with around 58% of the vote for the Division 8 circuit court.
In the Indiana Daily Student voter guide, she expressed support for a few reforms in the criminal justice system.
“Sixteen years as a public defender has shown me that the system we have in place does not work well for all citizens which results in a lack of trust in our judiciary,” Krothe said. “It is important that we elect judges who recognize that there are inequities and who work to make our criminal justice system more equal for all people. Systematic changes are necessary, and I hope to be part of those decisions in future years.”
She specifically pointed to a few of Monroe County’s progressive programs as some she would continue to support.
Related:Democrat incumbents Trent Deckard, Geoff McKim and Cheryl Munson will be the three at-large Monroe County Council members for another term, beating out two Republican challenging candidates.
The county council approves and appropriates all funds for county use, adopts the county budget, fixes county levy and tax rates and has the exclusive power to borrow money for the county, according to its website. The council is made up of seven members, four district-based and three at-large, and council members’ terms are four years long.
Deckard, McKim and Munson prevailed for the at-large Democratic seats in the June primary election. Deckard has served on the council since 2019, while McKim has been on the council for 11 years and Munson has been on the council for eight years.
Related:Monroe County saw a 6.3% increase in turnout compared to 2016. 63,624 people voted in this election — which is 3,777 more than the last presidential election.
Nearly 60% of these votes were cast either early in person or by mail.
Incumbent Trey Hollingsworth is projected to win his third term as the U.S. representative for Indiana’s 9th District, the Associated Press reports.
As a representative, Hollingsworth has served on the monetary policy and trade subcommittee, oversight and investigations subcommittee and the capital markets, securities and investment subcommittee.
He is also the founder of Hollingsworth Capital Partners, a multimillion-dollar real estate investment firm.
Nina Brochin, a 19-year-old IU sophomore who attended the event said she was nervous to watch the results by herself and is unsure of the outcome considering the predictions that Hillary Clinton would win the presidency in 2016.
“I have no idea what to expect,” she said.
Brochin said she is concerned about marriage rights, healthcare and abortion rights in this election.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers has conceded in his campaign against incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb. He thanked his family and friends in his brief speech after 9 p.m. on Tuesday and reflected on how rapidly his campaign changed.
“I’d announced my candidacy before we’d ever heard of COVID-19 and before we’d ever seen the murder of George Floyd,” Myers said.
Myers also thanked those who voted in difficult conditions this election and praised high voter turnout rates.
“That must be nurtured, not further suppressed or ignored,” Myers said. “Voting, like breathing, should be easy, not hard. It’s way past time for that and so much else to change.”
Todd Rokita is Indiana’s next attorney general, according to the Associated Press.
Rokita has served as the Indiana Secretary of State and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, but lost the primary.
He announced today he tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
Related:Gov. Eric Holcomb will be giving a speech to the press in about 8 minutes. Go to @idsnews on Instagram to watch the speech live.
About 30 people are here eating dinner and watching Fox News’ election coverage. Most are not wearing masks but put one on to speak with me.
Larrin Wampler and Jim Allen, the two challenging candidates for county council, are here. So is Carl Lamb, a candidate for Monroe County Circuit Court judge.
Lamb gave a closing speech wishing other candidates luck.
“One thing about conservatives is this: If we don’t win, we’re not burning down any buildings tonight. But one thing about conservatives, if you come into the county where we live, we do have guns.”
THREAD (1/x): I’m heading to the Monroe County Republican Party’s watch party at Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream for @idsnews.
— Mel Fronczek (@melissafronczek) November 4, 2020
At this point, CNN has called President Trump as winning Indiana, and the AP and New York Times have called Gov. Holcomb as winning re-election.
President Donald Trump is projected to win Indiana, according to the Associated Press. They called the race for him at 8:52 p.m. and Indiana’s 11 electoral college votes will go to Trump.
Related:Our live maps of official results in Indiana for the gubernatorial and presidential race are now live. The Associated Press has called the gubernatorial race for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb but not the presidential race.
Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer said he is confident the Republican Party will have victories at the state level, including in the attorney general, governor and lieutenant governor positions.
I’m at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis covering the Indiana GOP Election Night Victory Celebration @idsnews 1/? pic.twitter.com/vRBus0qhbZ
— madison smalstig (@madi_smals) November 3, 2020
Shelli Yoder has won her race for Indiana State Senate District 40. Yoder ran unopposed in the election.
She was the 2016 Democratic nominee for the 9th Congressional District seat.
— Shelli Yoder (@shelliyoder) November 4, 2020
Republican incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb was elected to a second term in the 2020 General Election on Nov. 3, defeating Democratic candidate Dr. Woody Myers and Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater.
Governors serve four-year terms and can only serve for eight years in a 12-year period in Indiana.
Holcomb was elected as governor of Indiana after President Donald Trump selected former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who was running for reelection, as his vice presidential running mate in 2016.
Related:The lines here started to dwindle by 8 a.m. after a big crowd right at the 6 a.m. opening.
— Matt Cohen (@Matt_Cohen_) November 3, 2020
It’s mostly students voting here, and many voted with absentee ballots.
Students I’ve spoken too mentioned making America safe for minorities as a key reason for their vote. @idsnews
I talked to sophomore John Brock, the last voter inside Alumni Hall. He said he just got back to Bloomington this evening driving from Evansville to vote. He made it inside 5 minutes before the doors closed and skipped class to cast his first presidential ballot. @idsnews
— Matt Cohen (@Matt_Cohen_) November 3, 2020
Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email she believes Monroe County had close to a 62% voter turnout for this election. There were no significant issues at polling sites on Election Day, Browne said.
If Monroe County results are available before midnight, the clerks office will send an update, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in and email. If not, the office will continue to count the results and an email will be sent at 8 a.m. with results or an update on when results will be available.
Related:Polls are now closed in most of Indiana. The Monroe County Election Board did not request an extension of voting hours.
Related:Colten Carter has voted in every U.S. election he has been eligible for. This year, the IU junior almost had to break his streak — because he contracted COVID-19.
Carter said he planned to vote in person on Election Day. A week earlier, he was tested for the coronavirus via IU’s mitigation testing. On Thursday, he tested positive and began his mandatory 10 days of quarantining. He wouldn’t be free until at least four days after Nov. 3.
“I had to do some research on my own, and it's pretty confusing, I'm not gonna lie,” Carter said of his voting options after testing positive. “It took me a good while, maybe like an hour, trying to find out how to actually vote.”
The Monroe County Election Board has not requested an extension of polling hours as of 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, according to officials at the Monroe County Election Central.
The board would have needed a unanimous vote in accordance with the 2019 election law. The law was upheld by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 23.
The polls in Monroe County will close at 6 p.m., but voters who are still in line at that time will still be permitted to submit their ballots.
Freshmen Luke Kubehl and Ashley Culbertson held up signs in front of the Sample Gates on Tuesday encouraging students to vote, representing the Civic Leaders Center.
Kubehl and Culbertson have stood in front of the Sample Gates since 4 p.m. and plan to until polls close at 6 p.m.
The day is winding down quickly at the Indiana Memorial Union. Poll workers say the lines have dropped off as the afternoon has gone on. Just an occasional voter coming out of Alumni Hall as the 6 p.m. closing approaches.
Most polling places across Indiana close in 49 minutes. If voters are in line when the polls close, they are allowed to vote.
Election Day in-person voting has exceeded early in-person voting, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email.
As of Sunday, 37,502 mail-in and in-person ballots have been submitted in Monroe County, according to the Indiana secretary of state's office.
In 2016, Monroe County residents turned in a total of 31,768 absentee ballots. Absentee voting by mail increased by more than 11,000 submissions from 2016 to 2020, while in-person early voting decreased by about 6,000.
Related:We analyzed Federal Election Commission data to see which Bloomington candidates Bloomington residents supported in the election.
Former Vice President Joe Biden led President Donald Trump, Libertarian Jo Jorgensen and Kanye West in number of donors and in amount raised.
Southside Christian Church remains the polling location in Monroe County with the most voters. With less than three hours until the polls close, 1,629 people have voted there, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email.
Brian Gayso says, “Me being an Iraq combat vet, you know, veterans affairs is important". Gayso already voted two weeks ago, so today he was working the polls. #Bloomington #Election2020 @idsnews pic.twitter.com/g94YPB7CAe
— Ethan Levy (@levyethan_) November 3, 2020
Bloomington High School South joins the polling places in Monroe County where over 1,000 people have voted.
Nearly 1,500 people have voted at Ellettsville Christian Church and St. Johns Catholic Church and more than 1,500 people have voted at Southside Christian Church, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Brown said in an email.
By 1 p.m., more than 650 people had voted at the Free Methodist Church on South Lincoln St.
Maximum wait times were around 30 minutes earlier in the day, election officials said, and there was no line at 1 p.m.
Teri Halstead, 59, voted at the church this afternoon. She relies on the Affordable Care Act for her healthcare and is worried about women losing their right to privacy.
She know’s she’s privileged as a white woman, but she wants Biden to win for people who don’t have that same privilege.
Todd Rokita, the Republican nominee for attorney general, announced this afternoon he recently tested positive for COVID-19.
He has developed some symptoms, according to his campaign, and will watch election results from home tonight.
St. Johns Catholic School voting location had a steady stream of people around lunch time, but virtually no wait time. People were in and out in about 10 minutes.
A poll worker said they had a long line of people earlier in the morning, but that line thinned by 9 a.m. The poll worker said everyone seemed to be in good spirits.
Need a ride to the polls? Here's how you can get there:
Polls in most of Indiana will be open for five more hours. If you've already voted (or are waiting in line to vote), here are three things to read:
Monroe County has had five polling sites where more than 1,000 people have voted as of noon, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email.
The polling locations are Ellettsville Christian Church, Grandview Elementary School, Jackson Creek Middle School, Southside Christian Church and St. John's Catholic Church.
No line right now at the IMU voting location pic.twitter.com/nb9CoV7ZNK
— Carson TerBush (@_carsonology) November 3, 2020
I’m at the Arlington Heights Elementary School. Short wait times continue to be the case around the county. While I was at the school, I didn’t see any voters walk in and there was definitely no line.
I’m at the Unitarian Universalist Church voting site. There are a few people campaigning outside, but there's no line right now. People are just trickling in and out.
“The stakes are kind of boiling down to human rights and compassion for me," Kevin Masters, 38, said. "There’s a lot of hate being thrown around everywhere and it’s like everybody has been given permission with this administration currently to do whatever they want to our queer friends and family.”
U.S. Postal Service letter carriers who find mailed ballots in their bags are running them to the letter carrier assigned to Election Central so they get turned in on time, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said.
Mailed ballots must arrive at Election Central by noon today.
Related:The oldest voter so far today was born in 1921, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email, making them 99 years old. The youngest voter turned 18 today.
Sixty people have voted at the Burgoon Church this morning which is around 75% of their registered voters, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email.
The Lahn family poses for a photo after 63-year-old Seth Lahn voted at the Free Methodist Church in Bloomington! Happy Election Day! @idsnews pic.twitter.com/jchotAHBZy
— Alexandra Deryn (@AlexandraDeryn) November 3, 2020
People who are currently sick with the coronavirus or are in quarantine can still vote in person, according to guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control.
Voters who are sick are asked to let poll workers know that they are when they arrive at the polling location. The website recommends checking with local authorities for more guidance.
The Monroe County Government Election Central can be reached for questions at 812-349-2690.
Related:Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email 714 people have voted at St. John's Catholic Church in Bloomington and 718 people have voted at Ellettsville Christian Church.
It's 9 a.m. and there's no line outside University Elementary School. Campaign staff on site told me the line was longest at 6 a.m. when it took about 55 minutes to enter the building.
The software that allows Monroe County election officials to monitor voting activity is currently having intermittent issues, Monroe County Clerk Nicole Browne said in an email. She said the vendor is aware of the issue.
Before the issues, she said some polling sites had seen more than 300 voters.
The line at the IMU polling location line is moving pretty quickly this morning. After the about 50 people who had lined up before 6 a.m. to vote had passed through the line, the people have been spending about 20 minutes total waiting in line and voting. Freshman Krystena Davis, 18, said she got in line at about 7:10 a.m. and walked out at 7:28 a.m.
Related:Just voted for the first time!! Virtually no lines at the IMU, in and out in under 10 minutes. @idsnews
— Amanda Foster (@amandafoster_15) November 3, 2020
The opening line outside the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University. #ElectionDay @idsnews #Bloomington #MonroeCounty pic.twitter.com/RsdS2Bxh2Y
— Ethan Levy (@levyethan_) November 3, 2020
At 6:54 a.m. there was no line at the Evangelical Community Church. This is the polling location for the Bloomington 21, Perry 7 and Perry 16 precincts.
Good morning! After a long campaign season, we've finally made it to Election Day. Indiana Daily Student reporters will be out at polling places across the county today to bring you updates. Once polls close, we'll post election results as soon as we have them.
What questions do you have for us? Let us know on Twitter.
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