Mike Wolanin | The Republic A vote here sign points to way to the entrance to the vote center inside St. John’s Masonic Lodge on Election Day in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Checking in at Donner
Donner Center is always a popular place to visit for candidates and their supporters on election day. As of about 1 p.m. Tuesday, Columbus City Council candidates Jerone Wood, Grace Kestler, Kent Anderson, Chris Bartels and Chris Rutan had all congregated in front of the voting center to talk with voters.
“The Democrats are definitely winning the food fight,” Anderson joked. “I appreciate all the donuts they brought.”
“The beauty of any election locally is that we’re a small enough community where we are truly bipartisan,” said David Burnett, father of at-large council candidate Josh Burnett. He added that there are great candidates from both sides of the aisle.
As of 1:30 p.m., about 450 votes had been cast at Donner Center, said Republican inspector Melissa Hill.
“It’s been steady but not busy,” she said.
She noted that there have been a fair number of people who showed up only to find out they couldn’t vote as their residences were in the county.
There were also some individuals who were “perturbed” to learn that the governor’s race isn’t until next year and at least one person who had expected to be able to vote for a new president, she said.
“Next year’s going to be a doozy,” Hill said.
Voting downtown confuses some
Downtown voters are still not used to casting their ballots at the Bartholomew County General Office Building. From 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., the voting center at the corner of Third and Franklin streets only attracted 120 people to cast their ballots.
Poll workers said many who finally found their way to the general office building believed they were supposed to vote in the Bartholomew County Courthouse. The courthouse’s only handicapped-accessible entrance is beyond the security checkpoint.
Some visitors to the general office building voting center asked election inspectors why the elevators were locked and there was not access to county offices.
They were reminded that all government offices are closed on Election Day.
Most vote centers reported turning away a large number of county residents who thought they could cast ballots, but were ineligible because they live outside the Columbus city limits.
Veterans at the polls
There was a larger number of veterans wearing military hats or shirts as they cast their ballots at Terrace Lake Church on County Road 200S.
Hallett Brown, who joined the U.S. Marines in 1975, said part of the military’s job is to continue to allow Americans to choose their leaders.
“We have to protect that right, so we could get the right people in there and make the country great again,” Brown said.
Another reason for former military personnel to show their patriotism on Election Day is the upcoming Veterans Day remembrances on Saturday. And for former Marines like Brown, this week marks the Corps’ 248th birthday.
Kids at the voting centers
A sight that brought a smile to a number of election workers were the parents who brought their children to the polls.
Republican election clerk Sally Reindl says most wanted their kids to see the voting process in action. Some parents at the Terrace Lake Church wanted their children to see how the electronic poll pad worked and how the cards can be programmed to only bring up races that the voter is eligible to vote in.
