Today marks the start of early voting in Indiana for next month’s general election. But if you are planning to vote straight party ticket on your ballot, you will need to take extra steps to vote in some races.
A new state law requires that straight party votes will not be applied to at-large races such as those for Bartholomew County Council says County Clerk Jay Phelps. Instead, voters will have to vote on those races individually, Phelps said. Other affected races include some town council races that area also at-large.
Phelps explains the change:
Voting officials are trying to make sure that residents understand the change. Phelps says that officials will include signs at the voting centers, at the voting machines themselves and on the ballot to alert voters to the change.
Phelps suggests that people may want to vote on every race individually just to make sure they don’t miss any candidates. For instance, school board candidates are always a non-partisan race so no votes are tallied when voters cast a straight-party ticket on those races either.
You can vote early at the Bartholomew County Courthouse during normal weekday business hours starting at 8 a.m. through November 7th, the day before the election. There will also be early voting at the courthouse on Saturday October 29th and November 5th.
Voting at three other satellite locations begins Oct. 31st and runs through Nov. 5th. Those will be at Main Source Bank on the city’s west side, Donner Center and Flintwood-Wesleyan Church on 25th Street.