Voter turnout is shaping up to rival 2020, with more than 25,000 votes already cast in Porter County as of Thursday afternoon.
By 3 p.m., more than 22,000 people had already shown up at vote centers since voting began, with the thousands of mailed ballots already received since early voting began Oct. 8.
The county’s vote mobile received 100 votes – a record number – during a three-hour visit to Kouts.
“It’s been a really busy election. Usually, the last two weeks are our busiest weeks,” said Sundae Schoon, director of the elections and registration office.
The deadline for receiving mailed ballots is 6 p.m. Nov. 5, when the polls close.
“We don’t have control over the mail,” Schoon said. She urged absentee voters to get the ballots sent as soon as they can.
Porter County Clerk Jessica Bailey urged voters to consider going to some of the less busy polling places if they’re voting early. The Northwestern Indiana Planning Commission office at 6100 Southport Road in Portage is one example.
“Go enjoy Bass Pro, have a steak lunch and go vote,” Schoon said.
Other options for shorter lines are the Valparaiso Fire Department training center at 355 Evans Ave. or Union Township Fire Station No. 2 at 257 N 600 West.
Bailey praised the election crew for working so hard to help voters. “You’re busy and working long hours,” she acknowledged.
At Thursday’s Election Board meeting, consultant Kenard Taylor reported candidates are getting better at filling out their campaign finance reports.
“We made a cheat sheet” for candidates to help make it easier to fill out the reports, Bailey said.
“The greatest problem is new candidates and not attending the sessions,” Taylor said.
He gave the elections staff a stack of 24 reports he reviewed. Twelve need amendments and only two of the reports need significant attention. “The rest of them are just simple errors, and someone can easily correct them in just five minutes,” he said.
One report, however, will require a lot more work. “I typed up a full page of errors on a five-page report,” Taylor said.
As Taylor reviews reports, he makes notes to tell how to fix errors. Usually, it’s simple mistakes like missing dates or not coding things properly.
“They’re improving all the time” since the board began cracking down on delinquent and deficient campaign finance reports a few years ago, Taylor said.
The board will meet Nov. 15 to certify election results.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
