Nearly one in three Indiana registered voters made their picks early

Nearly a third of Hoosiers registered to vote did so early, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Indiana had about 4.8 million residents on the rolls after the Oct. 7 registration deadline. Early voting began the day after.

By 11:30 a.m. on Monday, more than 1.5 million residents had voted early — marking 32% turnout before Election Day itself.

While it’s too early to know if this year’s turnout will eclipse previous years, Indiana traditionally has one of the worst turnout rates in the country. The 2020 general election hit a recent high-water mark of 65%, buoyed by an unusual election year with additional absentee voting flexibility, but sank to 40% in 2022. In 2016, another presidential year, 58% turned out to vote.

Most early voters, almost 1.3 million, cast their ballots in person. Mail-in voters were the next-largest group, at more than 180,000 strong.

Nearly 11,000 disabled or injured Hoosiers — or their caretakers — voted by traveling board. Bipartisan teams deliver ballots to such voters and help them complete ballots if they’re not physically able to so themselves.

And almost 6,000 voted by email. Just one person voted by fax.

More than 30,000 would-be voters had just a day and a half to get their mail-in, traveling board or email ballots turned in to be counted.

Leslie covers state government for the Indiana Capital Chronicle with emphases on elections, infrastructure and transportation. This story was first published on the Indiana Capital Chronicle's website.