HANCOCK COUNTY — Turnout for today’s municipal election has remained low, but it’s been higher than expected, according to Hancock County election officials.
More than a thousand voters have cast ballots today in the municipal election. There are races in Greenfield, Fortville, New Palestine and Cumberland. As of 2:45 p.m., a total of 2,388 residents either voted early or on Election Day at one of the county’s five vote centers.
Sharon McClarnon, election inspector at the Hancock County Courthouse Annex, said she didn’t expect to see more than 100 voters today at the vote center, but that total surpassed 250 earlier in the afternoon, around 2:15 p.m.
Some county residents who showed up to the polls, McClarnon said, couldn’t vote because they don’t live in the city limits of Greenfield or in any other municipality holding elections. Those residents were turned away, but election workers were able to double check to see if they were registered to vote, McClarnon said.
Kay Hunt, election inspector at the Hancock County Public Library’s Greenfield branch, also said she had to turn away ineligible voters today. One person lived outside Maxwell in the county and wanted to vote, she said.
At one point at the Sugar Creek Branch of the Hancock County Public Library, officials had turned way more ineligible voters who lived outside New Palestine’s town limits — 97 — than they had checked in to vote. At noon, that number was 91 voters.
Candidates, meanwhile, visited polling places trying to make last-minute impressions on voters. At the Sugar Creek library branch, Brandee Bastin; her husband, Nick and their two children spent part of the day greeting voters. Bastin, a Republican, is running for a seat on the New Palestine Town Council.
At Adaggios Banquet Hall, 5999 W. Memory Lane, Calli Cutshaw, Cumberland, was doing some last-minute campaigning for her husband, Aaron Cutshaw, who is running for the Cumberland Town Council in District 4. Carol Terheide was also greeting people on behalf of her husband, Breck Terheide, who is seeking the same seat.
The district is partially in Hancock County.
