But, overall election day turnout will likely be lower than last November’s presidential election, officials said.
Polling locations will be opened today in Clark and Champaign counties from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Early voting ended Monday afternoon, and Clark County saw 2,200 votes being cast in-person before election day, while Champaign County saw 553 early in-person votes as of Sunday afternoon.
Both counties reported lower mail request for absentee ballots as well.
Clark County mailed or delivered 1,318 ballots as of Monday afternoon, and 1,023 have been returned.
Champaign County reported 231 mail out ballots as of Sunday afternoon, representing the most updated information on the board of elections’ website.
This follows recorded breaking absentee voting numbers seen in both counties during November’s presidential election in 2020.
Clark County saw 41,872 absentee ballots counted during that election, with 20,656 being mailed or delivered. In Champaign County, the number of absentee ballots counted was 12,272, with 5,260 being by mail.
Those absentee numbers even surpassed what is usually expected during presidential elections, which on average musters a higher than usual local voter turnout.
Local election officials say that several factors contributed to the uptick seen last year.
State and federal elections tend to draw more people to the polls, said Amber Lopez, the Deputy Director of the Clark County Board of Elections.
Jodi Logan, the Deputy Director of the Champaign County Board of Elections, added that the dip in absentee votes can be attributed to the fact there are only local issues and candidates on the ballot for this election.
Safety concerns related to the coronavirus last year contributed in large part to more people voting absentee, Lopez said.
“Some may continue to vote earlier,” she added.
Voters were also encouraged to explore different ways to vote last fall in order to make sure polling stations were not too crowed amid the pandemic.
Lopez said some who may have transitioned to absentee voting for the first time last year may return to their normal voting habits for this election, such as voting on election day at their polling station.
The election this year is expected to mirror similar ones in the past. Early in-person voting returned this year to the Clark County Board of Elections’ Office after being moved in 2020 to allow for more social distancing during the pandemic.
Polling stations have not changed this year due to the pandemic in Clark County. There will be 48 polling stations open in the county on Election Day today and 376 poll workers have been assigned, said Lopez.
The only change in polling stations this election in Clark County involves a change from Donnels Creek Church of the Brethren to North Hampton Community Church in Pike Township. The change is due to the Donnels Creek not having enough electrical outlets, Lopez said.
In Champaign County, there has been no changes to its nine polling locations, in which 86 poll workers have been assigned.
Logan said that it will be up to poll workers weather they want to wear a mask.
Lopez said that while there is no state and local mask mandates, the CDC does advise that everyone indoors should wear a mask regardless of vaccine status.
She said the social distancing will still be encouraged and personal protection equipment will be made available.
Polling stations in Clark and Champaign counties will be open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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