By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – As of 3 pm on Saturday, well over 1,700 Wabash County residents have cast early ballots in the 2016 Primary Election. According to Wabash County Clerk Elaine Martin, that number represents the largest early voting primary election turnout in the history of the county. Earlier in the week, Voter Registration Deputy Teresa Ehret said that she would be thrilled with 1,500 early votes this year.
Despite the constant rain on Saturday, 166 voters came into the Wabash County Clerk’s Office to cast ballots and 60 voters turned out at the LaFontaine Fire Barn. But those numbers are nothing compared to the number of ballots cast Saturday at Timbercrest Senior Living Community in North Manchester. An amazing 307 voters came out to that location on Saturday alone and a shocked Martin told MiBash News that there was still a line at Timercrest around 3 pm when the polls closed. Martin compares the this year’s early votes to the last time a presidential primary election was held in 2012.
Martin broke down the numbers and reported to MiBash News that 24.7% of this year’s county primary voters cast Democratic Party ballots and 75.1% of county voters cast Republican Party ballots this cycle. Those two numbers don’t make up exactly 100% and that is perhaps because of the fact that voters residing in the Wabash City Schools district can choose to vote only on the public question as to paying more in property taxes in order to help the school system. She added that, since early voting began on April 5th, several early voters who have property within the city but live out in the county were quite upset to find out that they could not vote on the referendum.
Wabash Mayor Scott Long prepares to cast his ballot on Saturday
The last day county residents can cast an early ballot is Monday, May 2nd, from 8 am until 12 noon in the Clerk’s Office at the Judicial Center in Wabash. Polls are open on election day, Tuesday, May 3rd, from 6 am until 6 pm. In the city of Wabash, voting on election day takes place at the Zion Lutheran Church, located at 173 Hale Drive, First United Methodist Church, located at 110 N. Cass Street and at WellBrooke of Wabash, located at 20 John Kissinger Drive.
In North Manchester, voting takes place at the Public Safety Building, located at 709 W. Main Street and at the North Manchester Public Library, located at 405 N. Market Street. Other voting locations in the county include the Town Halls in Roann and Lagro, the LaFontaine Fire barn, at the Laketon Pleasant Township Fire Department and Woodlawn Church on 2nd Street in Somerset.
105.9 will provide live coverage of the 2016 Wabash County Primary Election results starting at 6 pm on Tuesday, May 3rd.