Nearly 40 percent of local voters have cast ballots

With 12 hours to vote and eight vote centers open in Putnam County on Tuesday, local voters still have ample opportunity to cast ballots for the 2020 general election.

However, heading into Election Day, it’s worth asking, “How many people in Putnam County are still planning to vote?”

Between 8,621 early in-person ballots and 1,826 mail-in ballots, 10,447 Putnam County citizens have already voted in the 2020 election.

That accounts for 38.9 percent of the county’s 24,835 total registered voters.

While the divisiviness of politics in Washington and Indianapolis is assuredly driving more people to the polls around the country and right here in River City, it’s unclear how many active voters remain in a county that has averaged 60 percent total voter turnout over the last three presidential election cycles.

Unless the county reaches 79 or greater percent turnout, more early votes will have been cast than on Election Day, a fact that would have seemed an absurdity even one year ago.

Yet between changing attitudes about early voting and a big shock to the system provided by the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape is far different in the fall of 2020.

Four years ago, local voters cast a then-unprecedented 4,245 early ballots, exceeding the previous record by more than 700.

Yet the 2020 total exceeds the old record by an astounding 6,202 ballots and counting, as any mail-in ballots received by noon on Election Day will also be tabulated.

Anyone with a mail-in ballot that has not been mailed still has one of two options for casting a ballot. The first is to fill out the ballot, go to the Putnam County Courthouse by noon on Tuesday and turn it in at the Voter Registration Office on the second floor.

The second option is to surrender the ballot at any one of the eight local Vote Centers (see list below) and cast an in-person vote.

As for those who cast early in-person ballots, the waits were long, at least for Putnam County, on Saturday, as the line wrapped around the second floor of the courthouse, down the east stairway and at least halfway across the first-floor lobby.

However, Voter Registration Clerk Stacia Hathaway periodically asked voters how long their wait was and was largely happy with what she heard.

“I don’t think anybody waited longer than an hour,” Hathaway said. “Saturday was busy. I was surprised it wasn’t more busy Monday morning.”

She reported that a number of people also came in after the noon deadline on Monday, still hoping to vote. This is nothing new.

“I think it went really well, actually,” she continued. “I think we were able to get people through.”

Even when people came in who were physically unable to stand the whole time, especially on the stairs, poll workers were able to move them to the second floor and ask the people in front to save their spaces in line.

Hathaway said people were willing to work together and this honor system caused no problems.

Fortunately, during the entire four-week early voting period, there was only one technology-related snafu, as one voting machine went down.

Ultimately, the problem was discovered to be poll workers using too much sanitizer as they tried to ensure there was no transmission of COVID-19 or other illnesses.

While polling places are open as normal on Election Day, local political junkies will again not be allowed to gather at the Putnam County Courthouse for tabulation on Tuesday night due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Local results will be released on www.bannergraphic.com as soon as they become available Tuesday evening.

For those still needing to find a polling place for Tuesday, the eight Putnam County vote centers are located at:

• Putnam County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Greencastle.

• Reelsville Fire Department, 7748 S. CR 625 West, Reelsville.

• Floyd Township Fire Department, 6901 E. CR 380 North, Fillmore.

• Greencastle American Legion, 1401 Indianapolis Rd., Greencastle.

• Cloverdale American Legion, 501 S. Main St., Cloverdale.

• Bainbridge Community Building, 201 N. Grant Ave., Bainbridge.

• Putnam County Fairgrounds Community Building, 191 N. U.S. 231, Greencastle.

• Wellspring Christian Church, 3256 S. CR 725 East, Coatesville.

Under the vote center model, polling place is no longer determined by precinct. A registered Putnam County voter who hasn’t already cast a ballot may do so at any one of these locations, regardless of place of residence.

Voters are reminded to bring government-issued identification and that election-related materials (including masks, buttons, hats, shirts and signs) are not permitted inside polling places.