A closing proclamation
Standing outside the doors of the polling place at Mount Pleasant Christian Church, inspector Steve Young issued a proclamation at 6 p.m.
“Here ye, here ye. The polls are now closed,” he said.
The final voters had just rushed across the parking lot to make it inside before the polls closed. Young looked around to make sure no one else was coming, then followed the last voter inside.
The vote center had been busy all day long, Young said. But starting around 3:30 p.m., the place was packed, with waits extending nearly two hours.
The last voters likely wouldn’t cast their ballot until 7:30 or 8 p.m.
“There’s probably at least 150 to 200 people in line now,” he said. “But at least everyone is here.”
— Ryan Trares
Just one vote
One vote could make the difference.
That’s the thought that motivated Karmyn Detherage while waiting an hour and a half to vote at Mount Pleasant Christian Church on Tuesday.
“Maybe my one vote will put in office the people I want to put in,” she said.
The White River Township resident passed the time people-watching in line, listening to everyone’s conversations around her.
Just behind her, Zachary Lee also endured the long line to cast his ballot. He had attended Bernie Sanders’ rally in Indianapolis on Monday and was energized by the entire political process.
“He had a good call-out for everyone to come out and vote, and I wanted to get in on the primary,” he said.
The long line didn’t bother him too much. Lee understood it was his duty as a citizen to make sure he cast his vote.
“It was definitely worth it,” he said.
— Ryan Trares
Important vote
An hour-long wait wasn’t going to deter Ray Linhart from voting in this year’s primary election.
With all that’s at stake for the country, it was a necessity.
“I think our country needs some help. We’re going in the wrong direction,” he said.
The White River Township resident patiently stood in line as it slowly snaked through the polling place at Mount Auburn United Methodist Church just after 4:30 p.m. Despite the delay, he was excited about the entire election process.
The fact that Indiana will play a major role, particularly in narrowing down the presidential field, has been exciting, he said.
With all of the attention on the state, Indiana has had the chance to make a good impression on the rest of the nation, Linhart said.
“It’s great that Indiana gets to shine a little bit. We’ve got money, we’re not broke, we’re doing some things right,” he said.
— Ryan Trares
Growing line
The line didn’t look too bad at first.
A few people stood outside the main doors at Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria in Greenwood, but the line was moving quickly.
Fifteen minutes later, the queue snaked across the parking lot, curving around cars to stay out of the way of a constant influx of people coming to vote.
Officials had anticipated being bombarded by voters in the late afternoon. But the line was a shock to Ian and Melissa Marks of Greenwood.
“It’s surprising. I didn’t expect it to be that long,” Melissa Marks said. “The last time we were were here, we got right in and right out.”
But the prospect of a long wait wasn’t discouraging. Rather, they were excited that so many people felt it was important to vote.
“I’d rather see a line than not a line,” Ian Marks said.
— Ryan Trares
Indiana’s role
With a series of important state and local races, as well as Indiana’s unusually vital role in the presidential primaries, there was no doubt that Steve Johnson was going to vote.
Johnson, of Greenwood, had not taken primary elections seriously in the past, but he made sure to cast his vote this time around.
“It’s a historic thing here in Indiana. We’re so important this time,” he said. “It usually doesn’t matter in the primary.”
Despite Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria being one of the most popular polling places in the county, Johnson’s wait was only about 15 minutes on Tuesday afternoon. But surveying the growing line outside the building, he was surprised how much the situation had changed between his arrival and finishing voting.
“I couldn’t believe how many people have gotten here since I got here,” he said.
— Ryan Trares
