Merrillville voters assigned to Precinct 22 will have a new polling location for the general election after the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve an emergency polling location change.
The voters will now vote at the Merrillville Fire Station No. 2, 7905 W. Taft Street, instead of Calumet Park Cemetery, 2305 W. 73rd Avenue, after a death in the ownership’s family, said Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman.
“They would not have someone to open for us. I asked if we could have the keys just to open, and they indicated no,” Fajman said. “It’s a private location, so we don’t have much of a choice.”
Election officials worked with the Merrillville Democratic and Republican city chairmen and they agreed on the fire station, which is 1.3 miles away from the cemetery, as the new polling location, Fajman said.
Fajman said election officials will notify voters about the change and put up a sign at the cemetery directing people to the fire station. As of Tuesday, there were 1,548 voters in Merrillville Precinct 22, she said.
With 25 days before the election, Fajman said the current election mail-in ballots and early in person voting data is surpassing the 2008 election mail-in ballots and early in person voting data.
For the current election, Fajman said office staff mailed out 9,546 ballots, of which 3,732 ballots were returned, and 13,533 people have voted early in person. In the 2008 election, with 25 days before the election, office staff mailed out 6,618 ballots, of which 1,457 ballots were returned, and 1,059 people voted early in person, she said.
In the 2012 election, with 25 days before the election, Fajman said office staff mailed out 5,771 ballots, of which 2,481 ballots were returned, and 2,741 people voted early in person. In the 2016 election, with 25 days before the election, office staff mailed out 6,280 ballots, of which 2,420 ballots were returned, and 4,559 people voted early in person, she said.
The 2020 election saw higher data points because it was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Fajman said. That year, 25 days before the election, office staff mailed out 31,537 ballots, of which 14,899 ballots were returned, and 15,602 people voted early in person, she said.
For early in person voting, Fajman said the polling locations in Lowell, St. John and Wicker Park have surpassed the number of voters casting a ballot compared to the 2020 election 25 days before the election.
The Lowell polling location saw 1,174 voters in 2020 and 1,207 voters in 2024; The St. John polling location saw 1,339 voters in 2020 and 1,580 voters in 2024; The Wicker Park polling location saw 1,126 voters in 2020 and 1,498 voters in 2024, Fajman said.
Fajman said the increase in early in-person voting shows that voters have “seen the ease” in voting early and are making voting plans.
“That’s encouraging and we want to see those numbers grow,” Fajman said. “It’s a safe and efficient way to vote.”
Early voting goes through the Monday before Election Day with 11 polling locations in Lake County and seven polling locations in Porter County.
For more voting hours and locations, visit https://www.porterco.org/1111/Early-Voting for Porter County and https://tinyurl.com/4s34d8a8 for Lake County.
