We asked Election Day voters what they care about. Here's what they told us

Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. across Indiana and will close at 6 p.m. local time. Wait times vary depending on location, with some reporting it took as little as five minutes to vote and others reporting up to 40 minutes.

Indiana’s voter turnout has typically been among the worst in the country, with around 56% voter turnout in the 2020 election, earning the state the 46th place. It’s too early to tell what this year’s turnout will look like.

Around 4.8 million Indiana residents have registered to vote in this election. Already, more than 1.5 million people have voted early, mostly in-person and some through mail-in ballots.

Voters concerned about misinformation and fallout

Lawanna Martin was in line to vote on Election Day at the Perry Township Government Center on the southside of Indianapolis. She said she’s voted in every election since she turned 18. She was in and out of the polling station in under five minutes.

Martin said abortion was one of the main issues on her mind as she cast her ballot. She is also especially concerned about misinformation leading up to this election.

“It was a lot of mis-said stuff and misconstrued stuff, and I'm not sure what the outcome is going to be, but I hope it's safe for our country,” Martin said. “I am very concerned because of the Republican that’s running for president.”

Some voters expressed concerns about potential fallout from this election.

“The division in the country is kind of scary, and during voting times true colors come out,” said Zacharias Harrow, who voted on the southside.

Others fear a repeat of what happened four years ago, when protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 in an attempt to thwart the certification of the election results.

“I think that we're probably going to see a repeat of what we saw four years ago, maybe to a larger degree,” said Indianapolis resident Cynthia Man. “I just think the rhetoric hasn't changed. It's as hateful and negative now as it was four years ago or eight years ago and I just don't think that we're gonna see any lessening of that.”

“I mean, look at January 6th," said voter Audrey Wessel. "The last time Trump didn’t win the election, that’s what happened. So we’ll see, hopefully there won’t be any this year but you never know with the prevalence of social media and the ability for people to rally like that, you never know, anything could happen.”

Indianapolis resident Steven Hunter cast his vote earlier this morning at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. He said housing is a big issue for him in this election.

“I would like to get my first home, and so I’m hoping that one of these candidates can make that happen,” Hunter said.

The Indiana governor’s race is top of mind for other voters.

Vicki Maller says she is ready for this election to be over.

"I’m grateful that at 6 o’clock tonight I don’t have to turn the T.V. on [to see] any more ads," Maller said. "I wish that when we do hear the results, that our country will be safe."

Hamilton County

It was an exciting day for Tony Martinez, the father of a first-time voter. After he and his 18-year-old son voted at the Roy G. Holland Memorial Park building in Fishers, he told WFYI that he mainly focuses on national races.

“I just don’t know many of the candidates, I just don’t really get involved in politics,” Martinez said.

It was a common response from a lot of voters in Fishers. About 25% of Hamilton County voters didn’t even participate in the 2020 election.

Many Democrats are hoping to tip the scale by reaching out to voters of color. But their tactics have fallen short when it comes to 37-year-old Muhammad Mufti. The lifelong Republican said voting is important to him because he wants lower gas prices and the end of wars, partially to elevate some of the stress people endure from politics.

“If I look outside my house and see other folks, yes, there has been a lot of depression,” Mufti said.

Jason Godwin stood near the polling location in Fishers and held flags for former President Donald Trump. He said the community response has been mostly positive.

“We’ve definitely gotten a lot more thumbs ups and honks,” Godwin said. “Two people have flipped us off and we’ve probably gotten two or three thumbs down. But I would say 90% have given thumbs up or honked at us in a good way.”

The right to abortion isn’t on the Indiana ballot. But winning candidates could work to influence the state’s abortion ban.

Sunny Blackburn is a staunch Republican. She voted for Donald Trump for president and all Republican local candidates. One reason, she said, is because she wants more medical regulations, especially around abortion.

“It was kind of a difficult decision because neither candidate is pro-life,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn isn’t in favor of any type of abortion. Two of her friends who stood on a sidewalk in Fishers to encourage people to vote Republican are also against abortion, but they prefer exceptions for people who have been raped or are experiencing life-threatening medical problems.

For others, like Chelsea Zielinski, she wants to make sure Vice President Kamala Harris is the next president.

“If she’s not elected, I feel like a lot of our rights are going to be taken away,” Zielinski said. “But I have faith in the American people that we’ll make the right decision.”

WFYI data journalist Zak Cassel, enterprise health reporter Elizabeth Gabriel, investigative education reporter Lee V. Gaines and newsroom intern Martin Schauss contributed to this report.