Election 2023: In-person early voting in Monroe County kicks off

On Wednesday morning at the Monroe County election operations building at 3rd and Walnut Streets, county clerk Nicole Browne kept her election tradition.

At precisely 8 a.m. when early in-person voting started, Browne opened the door and proclaimed: “Hear ye, hear ye! The polls are now open!”

She then turned back inside and went through the line as the first voter to cast a ballot. It’s a kind of quality control check—if there is a first-day glitch of any kind, she wants to be the first to experience it. On Wednesday there were none.

The schedule of days and times for in-person voting, through Election Day on Nov. 7, are included in a table below.

The grounds of the election operations building were bare of any campaign signs—for candidates in Bloomington’s municipal elections, or any stating a position on the Monroe County Community School Corporation referendum.

The referendum asks voters if they want to impose an 8.5-cent property tax increase, in order to pay for early childhood education programs.

The lack of campaigning for candidates is due to the fact that none of the races on the ballot are contested, except for the District 3 city council race. Republican Brett Heinisch is vying against Democrat Hopi Stosberg for the District 3 seat.

The rest of the ballot is a full slate of Democratic Party nominees, including Kerry Thomson for mayor and Nicole Bolden for city clerk.

A local judge ruled late last week against Joe Davis in his lawsuit to gain ballot access as an independent candidate for Bloomington mayor.

The overnight temperatures dipped to 37 F degrees between Tuesday and Wednesday. But by the time in-person voting started at 8 a.m. the mercury had risen to a balmy 40 F. Skies were clear.