Election 2018: Bartholomew County final results

With the absentee votes tallied and all of the county’s 18 vote centers reporting, Bartholomew County Republicans will continue to have a lock on local government.

Bartholomew County set new record vote totals today, with the highest voter turnout since 1982, according to County Clerk Jay Phelps.

We had 26,873 voters cast ballots, which shattered the 1982 record of 23,949 voters. Nearly half of those ballots, 11,780, were cast early either at the county courthouse, the early voting satellite sites or by mail-in ballot. That is a turnout of 52.97 percent of the county’s 50,729 registered voters.

State Sen. Greg Walker, the incumbent Republican, defeated Democrat Ross Thomas 62.47 percent to 37.53 percent in Bartholomew County’s portion of State Senate District 41.

Republican Ryan Lauer defeated Democrat Dale Nowlin and Libertarian Clyde Myers in the race for Indiana State Representative District 59 with 56.85 percent of the vote in Bartholomew County compared to Nowlin’s 40.55 percent. Myers drew 2.6 percent in that race.

In the County Council District 1 race in eastern Bartholomew County, between Republican Scott Bonnell and Democrat Hanna Omar, Bonnell pulled 65.22 percent of the vote, with Omar carrying 34.78 percent.

And in the County Council District 4 race in southwestern Bartholomew County, incumbent Republican Jorge Morales defeated Democrat Lynne Fleming 64.67 to 35.33 percent.

Most of the Bartholomew County countywide races were uncontested this election. With the races for County Commissioner, Sheriff, Prosecutor, Superior Court 1 Judge, Clerk, Auditor, Assessor, Recorder and Treasurer all held by Republicans who were not opposed. Two County Council races were also unopposed.

Bartholomew County voters are in favor of the proposed balanced budget amendment. The public question carried 73 percent of the Bartholomew County voters.

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun is leading incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly 57 to 38 percent in local voting.

CNN has called Indiana’s 6th Congressional District for Columbus resident and Republican Greg Pence. In Bartholomew County tallies, he is leading his Democratic opponent Jeanine Lake 60 to 37 percent.

Further down the ballot,  incumbent Hope Town Council members won over their two challengers for the two at-large seats on the council by a margin of three votes. Democratic incumbent Jerry Bragg drew with 28.41 percent of the vote, followed by Republican incumbent Clyde Compton with 25.46 percent of the vote. Democrat Chelsea Warriner came in just behind Compton with 25.09 percent of the vote. Republican “Lou K” came in last with 21.03 percent.

Clifford Town Board winners are Carroll D. Thompson, Danny James and Ed Stone, all of whom are Democrats.

There were 7,790 voters who cast straight Republican Party ballots, compared to 2,571 Democrat straight-party voters. 17 people voted Libertarian straight-party tickets.