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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public officials encourage minorities to get out and vote

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Indiana consistently ranks near the bottom of the country in voter turnout, according to data from FairVote.org, a voting rights organization. The last time Hoosiers went to the polls in a general election without a presidential race to quibble over was 2014, when Indiana ranked second worst among states with a voter turnout of 28.8 percent. This year, with expanded early voting in Marion County, some public officials see an opportunity to overcome the traditional barrier of apathy ā€” especially among minority voters ā€” and increase turnout.

Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge expressed concern for voter apathy among African-American voters, but also suggested there is reason to be optimistic about Election Day on Nov. 6.

For the first time in Marion County, according to Eldridge, there will be six satellite locations for early voting between Oct. 26 and Nov. 4.

Early voting is underway at the clerkā€™s office, 200 E. Washington St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends. Early voting in the clerkā€™s office ends on Oct. 25. Voters are encouraged to use the Delaware Street entrance. Since 2009, the clerkā€™s office has been the only place Marion County residents could vote early.

Eldridge, a Democrat who was elected clerk in 2014 and is running for re-election this year, said she would like to see early voting extended even more in the future.

ā€œI think whatever we can do to make early voting easy and more accessible for the voters of Marion County, then we should do that,ā€ Eldridge said.

The six new satellite locations came as part of the fallout from a lawsuit filed by the Indianapolis NAACP and Common Cause Indiana that claimed the county was suppressing voting rights in urban communities.

Zach Adamson, a Democrat who represents District 17 on the cityā€™s northeast side, said voter knowledge among African-Americans in his district is ā€œpretty strong, as long as we keep people motivated to show up. Thatā€™s the real challenge. The knowledge base is pretty strong.ā€

Adamson is encouraging residents to take advantage of early voting and to use county political parties to get a ride to the polls.Ā 

Eldridge said her office does targeted voter outreach, including to millennials, but not to minorities. Without race or ethnicity markers on the voter registration application, Eldridge said itā€™s difficult to gauge how active African-Americans are in the political process. In general, though, she said minority voters tend to feel that their votes donā€™t matter.

ā€œIf you donā€™t participate in the political process, and youā€™re not voting, itā€™s pretty much saying that you donā€™t care about the decisions that someone is making on your behalf,ā€ Eldridge said.

Adamson doesnā€™t believe voter apathy will be a problem in his district this year, saying the people he meets around the community have a ā€œhigher than averageā€ political engagement level.

For Eldridge, convincing minority voters that electoral politics is worth their time comes down to a reminder about the status of their voting rights for most of this countryā€™s history.

ā€œItā€™s important for minorities to be aware that they need to participate in the political process because there was a time when they were not allowed to,ā€ Eldridge said. ā€œNow that you have the right to, we shouldnā€™t take that lightly.ā€

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Contact Staff Writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick

Where to Vote

Marion County has six satellite locations for early voting.

ā€¢ Glick Technology Center, 2620 N. Meridian St.

ā€¢ Franklin Township Annex Learning Center, 6019 S. Franklin Road.

ā€¢ International Marketplace Coalition, 3685 Commercial Drive.

ā€¢ Lawrence Education and Community Center, 6501 Sunnyside Road.

ā€¢ Perry Township Government Center, 4925 Shelby St.

ā€¢ Washington Township Government Center, 5302 N. Keystone Ave.

Locations will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends.

Need a Ride?

Each major county political party is offering rides to the polls on Election Day. Democrats can be reached at 317-245-4412, and Republicans can be reached at 317-964-5050.

Vote at Polls

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