Clark County Board of Elections leaders predict that the overall voter turnout today will be between 15% to 20%, while their counterparts in Champaign County predict that number to be around 8% to 10%.
However, early in-person voting had a strong start in both counties.
Clark County Board of Elections director Jason Baker said they had 1,477 people request absentee ballots for this election either by mail or in person. He added that the election was going smoothly and as of Tuesday morning, about 1,000 people had been checked in to vote on election day.
Election day crews at the Springfield Twp. public safety building and the Clark County Fairgrounds youth building — two locations who see many voters living in the Clark-Shawnee school district — both reported today that a consistent flow of voters were visiting their polling locations.
All of the county’s 76 precincts are open for the election and there are about 310 election workers to help man polling locations in Clark County, according to the Clark County Board of Elections.
Harmony Arendt, who is leading the poll workers crew at the Clark County Fairgrounds youth building today, said a “steady” pool of voters has trickled in to cast their ballots. More than 70 voters had come in to vote before noon.
Baker said that the last special election of this kind was held in 2017 and saw a 35% voter turnout, which saw a Clark-Shawnee School District ballot issue that failed to pass.
The Aug. 2 continuing levy comes after a proposed 12.1 mill levy failed on both the May 3 ballot this year and the Nov. 2 ballot in 2021. This levy would merge two existing levies if passed: an emergency levy first approved in 2012 by voters that generates about $2.5 million annually and an emergency levy first approved in 2014 by voters that generates about $2.2 million annually. Both levies are used for operating costs for the district, including materials, supplies, salaries, benefits, programs, classes and more, according to the school district.
The primary election held in May saw a turnout of about 21% in Clark County.
Baker said that he ordered enough ballots to accommodate a 30% turnout for this election, but said that they do not expect to hit that number.
“It just depends on who and what’s on the ballot,” Baker said when it comes to voter turnout.
In Champaign County, there were 576 absentee ballots, including mail and in person requests. Champaign County Board of Elections director Meredith Bodey said that the number of those absentee requests were more than she was expecting for this election.
A contested state representative was on the Champaign County ballot this election, with Republicans Tim Barhorst, Rochiel Foulk and Lili Johnson Vitale vying for the 85th district.
Nine polling locations are open and the county has 60 poll workers. Bodey said that she expects a much larger turnout for the November election.
