In-person voting kicks off Tuesday at Donner Center

Tuesday is the first day for in-person early voting in Bartholomew County. Unlike recent election years, there will be only one early voting location — at Donner Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., today through Saturday, and again on Monday from 8 a..m. to noon at Donner Center.

Because of social distancing requirements in the Bartholomew County Courthouse, there will not be in-person absentee voting at the courthouse this election.

Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps says that it has already been a record setting year for vote by mail in the county. As of last Thursday, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot, there had been 8,802 absentee ballots sent out and and the voter registration office had already received in 5,071 voted ballots.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 2nd and because of poll worker shortages in Bartholomew County, and a reduction in the number of locations willing to host poll stations, you will see only eight vote center locations on election day. Those will be at Flintwood Wesleyan Church, Donner Center, Terrace Lake Church, Elizabethtown Fire Station, Ogilville United Methodist Church, Hope Moravian Church, German Township Fire Station and St. John’s Masonic Lodge.

Bartholomew County Democrats have one contested race on the ballot, for the statehouse seat that represents most of the county and Columbus. Dale Nowlin and Cinde Wirth are running to challenge incumbent State Rep. Ryan Lauer in November.

On the Republican ballot, voters will be choosing between four candidates for Superior Court judge with Scott Andrews, Dominic Glover, Joe Meek and Jon Rohde; Three candidates for County Commissioner District 3 seat, Dan Arnholt, Jo Flohr and Tony London. And seven candidates running for the three at-large seats on the Bartholomew County Council: Andrew Brunni, Laura DeDomenic, Will Lentz, Matt Miller, Derick Olson, Evelyn Pence and Bill Read.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, Coroner Clayton Nolting and Surveyor E.R. Gray are all running unopposed on the Bartholomew County Republican ballot.

All Bartholomew County voters in the Bartholomew Consolidated Schools district will be deciding on a tax referendum for BCSC.