Voting for nearly half a century
Mike Bullington said he has voted in every election since he turned 21 in 1972.
The Franklin resident is impressed by the development in the city, especially the downtown area, and wants to see it continue, he said while voting Tuesday morning at the Franklin Community Center.
“The transformation of Franklin since I was in high school is astounding, I’m pleased to see the direction,” Bullington said. “I know people running for office. They’re good people.”
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On a Friday or Saturday night in the city, he can see hundreds of cars, which didn’t use to be the case. In this election, however, the development of education is on the ballot with the Franklin schools referendum, something he supports.
“I see Franklin (community schools) is one of the lowest paid in the metro area, and I’m willing to pay a little bit more in taxes to support the schools and teacher salaries,” Bullington said.
More than 1,500 in first 4 hours
By 10 a.m. Tuesday, 1,503 voters had cast ballots at 18 vote centers throughout the county, bringing the total to more than 4,200 including early votes, said Reagan Higdon, first deputy clerk.
Some polling sites saw more voters than others. Grace United, a popular vote center in the heart of Franklin, had more than 150 by 10 a.m., whereas Johnson County REMC had 54.
No issues have been reported to voter registration, Johnson County Clerk Trena McLaughlin said. All eyes are on the election after the November 2018 debacle where voting equipment failed the county.
Three MicroVote and one KNOWiNK representatives are available if any arise, McLaughlin said.
A civic duty
Voters at Grace United Methodist Church said they were casting a ballot because it is their civic duty.
Monica Park, a Franklin resident, didn’t come out to vote for anyone in particular. She voted because she always votes, she said.
Everett Hall, a longtime Franklin resident and voter, complimented the new voting equipment, and said it has been explained well.
“It’s pretty neat,” he said.
He also voted because it’s his civic duty to do so, he said.
“This is the American way and the thing that keeps us what we are — the greatest country on Earth,” Hall said.
He was particularly interested in the city court judge’s race and the Franklin Community Schools referendum, he said.
“All’s they got to do is realign the money. That’s it,” he said. “Simple as that.”
Joyce Sauer, a county resident, was one of about 20 percent of voters Tuesday at Grace United that only voted on the school question.
“I feel like, as a community, we should do what we can to make sure we have an educated populous, and at the core of that is taking care of our schools,” Sauer said.
Her daughter works for Franklin Community Schools, she said.
“But that’s always been my attitude, even before that,” Sauer said.
New location great for poll workers, hard to find for some voters
By 8 a.m., 25 voters had cast ballots at one of two new vote centers.
The county replaced a Franklin fire station with the Johnson County REMC this year.
A couple voters went to the fire station first, where firefighters pointed them in the direction of the new site, inspector Angie Turnmire said.
Voters can cast ballots anywhere in the county. Eighteen vote centers are open today.
“This is much more community minded. We’ve got public restrooms, and a covered space if it rains. At the fire station, if you were in line, you were outside,” Turnmire said.
“I’m hoping the REMC lets us come back,” she continued, crossing her fingers.
Kyle Harmening, a 22-year-old Franklin College student, is serving as judge. Having voted at several other sites, he’s a fan of the new location, he said.
“It’s comfortable. I mean, we’ve got a full kitchen,” Harmening said, laughing.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but yeah, this location is amazing.”
He has voted at Mt. Pleasant, Rocklane and the Bargersville Town Hall, and said the REMC is by far the best location because it is updated and spacious.
“If there was a line, we would be able to handle it pretty easily,” Harmening said.
He’s a fan of the new equipment as well.
“It’s much easier to retract if you input something wrong,” he said.
Besides that, the only other major difference is that the new machines have push buttons instead of touch screens.
— James Vaughn
Mayoral candidates will continue to serve Greenwood, regardless of who wins
Greenwood mayor Mark Myers and his opponent in this year’s Republican primary, Dale Marmaduke, both said they would continue to serve city residents, regardless of who wins.
“No matter the result, I know we’ve worked hard,” Myers said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done. I’m proud of what my staff has done. We brought this city out of the black — out of debt.”
If he wins, he says his top priority will continue to be improving public safety by increasing staffing levels, he said.
“We’re nothing if we don’t have a safe community,” Myers said.
“My hope is to be re-elected and continue forward with our goals, to get this city in tip-top shape. I’ve always been a public servant, so no matter what, I believe in Greenwood and will still help by serving the public.”
For years, Marmaduke campaigned for other candidates at the Vineyard Community Church vote center. Now he’s campaigning for himself.
Regardless of the outcome of today’s race, he’s happy, he said.
“Am I confident? No. I’m the underdog,” Marmaduke said.
If nothing else, he got his message out. He has encouraged Greenwood residents to dig and take everything the administrations says with a grain of salt.
If Marmaduke wins the primary, he still has to win in the fall general election. If he wins in November, his immediate actions include turning the city’s Human Resources over to a committee, and cutting down on spending significantly, he said.
If he loses, he will continue to attend city meetings and encourage direction, and serve the community as a volunteer, he said.
Both candidates hope residents get out and vote today.
“If they don’t vote, their government officials run wild,” Marmaduke said.
‘Dream team’
One poll worker crocheted and another worked on an assignment as voters trickled in Tuesday morning at Vineyard Community Church in Greenwood.
Only about 10 voters were waiting in line when the doors opened at 6 a.m. One of the more than 70 candidates on primary ballots this election was among them — Ron Deer, a former Greenwood city council member who is running again.
The nine poll workers and one MicroVote representative were ready to go when the vote centers opened. All 16 voting machines were ready for voters.
It only took them about 30 minutes to get all of the equipment set fired up, supervisor Marie Smith said.
“We rock. We’re the dream team,” Smith said once those 10 voters made it through.
Each of the voters checked in within 20 seconds, and done voting within about 3 minutes.
The poll workers love the new equipment. They don’t love the voter turnout so far. Just 2,700 voters cast ballots early.
“It’s pretty typical,” Smith said. “The only atypical thing about today is the amount of machines they gave me.”
Making sure the county has enough machines and vote centers was a precaution clerk Trena McLaughlin took this election to make sure, even with the low voter turnout, no one is waiting in lines for longer than a few minutes.
So far, nobody is.
