Voters looking to avoid a wait on Election Day, or who wanted a say on picking the city’s mayor or a school spending hike were among the first people to vote in the primary election.
Early voting began Monday at the Johnson County Courthouse, which was the kick-off of this year’s election. Voters who chose to vote early Monday were also among the first to get a peek at new machines the county is using.
Republican voters in the primary election have the chance to choose the candidates they would like to see on general election ballots. Candidates for town and city councils, clerk-treasurers and city judges were on the Republican ballot. There are no contested Democratic races in the primary, but all voters in the Franklin school district can cast a ballot on the referendum question.
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A steady stream of voters in the first 45 minutes of early voting had almost no wait. Two women came before the 8:30 a.m. poll opening time.
A majority of the voters chose to vote early to avoid long lines on Election Day and to make sure that they had a say in the races that affected them, voters said.
“I like the whole idea of voting early so I don’t have to wait in line,” Jeff Pinnick of Franklin said.
Election officials are encouraging voters to cast their ballots early. Voters who would like to vote early have dozens of chances with hours at the courthouse, including Saturday hours, and Saturday hours at multiple locations across the county. Election officials also are traveling to several retirement communities in the county to allow their residents to vote early, Johnson County Clerk Trena McLaughlin said.
“I would love people to vote early,” she said.
Overall voter turnout for this election is expected to be below 10 percent and municipal primary election overall voter turnout in the past has dipped to 8 or 9 percent, McLaughlin said.
“It is typically pretty low,” she said.
More than 21,000 people voted early in the 2018 general election. That election was county-wide, which is why more people likely voted early, First Deputy Clerk Reagan Higdon said.
Some specific issues brought voters out early and most said they wanted a say in who would be running their towns and cities, voters said.
Catherine and Don Conrad of Greenwood voted early to avoid lines on Election Day and to vote specifically on who they wanted as their mayor.
“We knew who we wanted to vote for and we wanted to get it out of the way,” Catherine Conrad said.
City and town councils races also brought voters out, with Dee Shay of Prince’s Lakes voting early because of the races in her area. Shay is expected to be out of town on Election Day and wanted to make sure she had a say in who might be running her town, she said.
“It’s a lake area and there are a lot of issues that are serious if not handled correctly,” she said.
Voters who voted Monday were among the first voters to use the new voting machines.
Johnson County hired MicroVote, an Indianapolis-based vendor, to provide equipment and run the elections this year. Pollworkers were trained on the equipment earlier this month. The new equipment features iPads as the electronic poll books, with special, certified software.
Using these new machines were easier than in the last election, Catherine Conrad said.
“I thought they were much better. They were really easy,” she said.
Three representatives from MicroVote were at the courthouse on Monday to help with any issues. Representatives are expected to check-in and be in and out daily during the early voting period, McLaughlin said.
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Here is a look at where and when you can cast your ballot early:
Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 and May 4.
8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 6.
Trafalgar Public Library, 424 S. Tower St., Trafalgar
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 and May 4.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 1-3.
Vineyard Christian Church, 512 S. Madison Ave, Greenwood
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 and May 4.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 1-3.
John R. Drybread Community Center, 100 E. Main Cross St., Edinburgh.
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 and May 4.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 1-3.
White River library, 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood
8 a.m. -3 p.m. May 4.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 1-3.
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