‘Everything starts local for me’: Indianapolis voters eager to have voices heard on Election Day

Dwight Adams - The Indiana Citizen

Eric White, a pastor at Nu Corinthian Baptist Church, says he hasn’t missed an election since he turned 18.

And he kept his record perfect by voting in the city’s municipal elections on Tuesday at Eagle Creek Community Church on Indianapolis’ Northwest side, where a trickle of voters arrived just before noon at the slower-paced polling place.

“I’m very involved,” White said after casting his ballot. “It’s important to vote. People talk about what’s happening, but you can’t make a change unless you put someone in there who you think will make a difference.”

Clayton Allen, who voted at the Speedway Municipal Center on Crawfordsville Road, said he also makes an effort to vote, even in primaries, because he wants to “make my voice heard, just have a say in my town.”

Kathy Mummert also made sure to vote and cast her vote in Speedway because “something’s got to change in the city of Indianapolis. Too much crime, too many gangs, too many guns.
“I came out today to hopefully make that happen.”

The Speedway polling place was busy around the lunch hour. Campaign workers, some holding signs, greeted voters outside the municipal building’s entrance, which was surrounded by campaign signs. Inside the building, about a dozen voters waited to vote after winding their way down the stairs or riding on an elevator to take their spot in line outside a conference room filled with voting machines and poll workers.

Dax Thomas, a poll worker at the municipal center, said word was getting out about the efficiency at that site with only about a five-minute wait to vote. He said about 800 to 1,000 people typically vote at that polling place, and they were keeping pace with those numbers on Tuesday.

“We’re having a nice turnout here. We’re getting them in and out,” Thomas said. “The pace is kind of consistent, with very few lulls.”

Thomas also said there were no problems with the voting machines, and people were heeding the advice beforehand to make sure to bring a photo ID with them.

Some people were being asked to fill out forms if they had changed their address since the last time they had voted, he said, but he added that the procedure was “easy enough” and they were still able to vote.

Gabriele(cq) Hysong, a poll worker at the Eagle Creek Community Church location, said they hadn’t seen any voting glitches either, although they had to turn away one man because he had forgotten to bring a photo ID.

She said they had seen 184 voters by about 11:20 a.m., with more expected around the noon hour and by the end of the work day.

“I take the day off to do this,” Hysong said of her work at the polls, adding that she has helped out at other poll sites, too. “I try to do this every time. It’s the least you can do.”

Demetrice(cq) Hicks, another poll worker at that site, said he has been involved in local political campaigns and caucuses for the past 10 years.

“People are excited about taking part in the process,” he said of voters, adding that some of them even thanked the poll workers for their service.

“We need representation,” Hicks said of why he likes to get involved in local politics. “We need leaders who are going to provide adequate representation for the people they serve—and not just special interest groups.”

Tammy May, who said she works for the state, also said she makes a point to vote in every election, even primaries.

“Everything starts local for me,” she said outside the church polling place after casting her vote. “You’ve got to be involved in your community. You’ve got to get some skin in the game.”