Monroe County election board OKs 28 Election Day polling sites, early voting hours, but state legislation could limit schedule

Without any of the previous drama about a possible lack of funding, Monroe County’s election board on Tuesday (Feb. 17) approved early voting hours for the 2026 voting cycle that square up with the 10-hour daily schedule used in the past.

But the three-member board was alerted to a pending bill in the state legislature that could cut the number of days before Election Day when Hoosiers can cast ballots. The current standard is no more than 28 days in advance. But that four-week span would be ratcheted down to 16 days, based on an amendment to HB 1359 that was passed out of the Senate’s committee on elections on Monday (Feb. 16).

Even though the amended HB 1359 still needs to be put to a vote by the whole Senate, then reconciled with the version that the House passed, Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne said at Tuesday’s election board meeting she thinks the amended bill will probably become law.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the election board moved toward using 28 polling places for Election Day—up from a previously discussed 21-site plan. But the board heard from county election supervisor Kylie Farris that not all seven of the additional sites have confirmed they are willing to host elections.

Browne serves on the three-member board, because under state law the elected county clerk is a member of the election board. The appointees of the two major parties were both represented by proxies on Tuesday. On the Democratic Party’s side it was former election board member Carolyn VandeWiele who held down the fort for Penny Githens, while it was Jack Schmit who served as proxy for Republican appointee Danny Shields.

Early voting hours

Normally the election board sets the hours for early voting in January or earlier, but a kerfuffle between county clerk Nicole Browne and the county council over the 2026 budget, delayed a decision until Tuesday’s special meeting.

On Tuesday, the board adopted a formal resolution setting early voting hours for the 2026 primary and general elections, keeping the traditional 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekday schedule, plus Saturday hours, and a final Monday before Election Day with hours ending at noon.

Early voting for 2026 will take place at the North Showers building on Morton Street. According to election supervisor Farris, the entire parking lot next to the entrance will be reserved for early voters. Handicap parking will line the front sidewalk and nearby street spaces on Morton Street.

But the resolution includes explicit wording that says the board is “conscientiously following legislative proposals that may impact early voting hours” and reserves the right to amend those hours if state law changes.

Legislative backdrop: Possible cut from 28 to 16 days

Before the board settled on local hours, county clerk Nicole Browne opened the meeting with a legislative update on House Bill 1359, among other pending legislation.

The amendment to cut the allowable number of voting days from 28 days to 16 days was added “at the 11th hour,” Browne said. “Nothing is done until the governor signs it,” Browne cautioned, but she thinks it is likely to become law.

Carolyn VandeWiele was initially reluctant to vote on the early voting schedule—until the board knew whether the reduction to 16 days would pass. If it does pass, VandeWiele said, the board should consider extending some hours, perhaps by making Saturday a full day and extending at least one or two weekdays later into the evening.

The resolution that eventually was adopted, on unanimous vote, incorporated a full 28‑day schedule, but included wording about the board’s intent and authority to amend hours later if the legislature enacts a shorter window.

County council president Jennifer Crossley spoke in person from the public mic. Crossley used her public comment time to thank the election board for adopting the familiar 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. early voting hours and to stress the council’s commitment to financing an accessible election.

Crossley pointed to the recent “robust conversation” with Browne at the county council’s meeting a week ago. Crossley said that the county council stands ready to consider additional appropriations if the election board’s election plans ultimately require more.

Election Day polling places: 21 vs. 28 locations

On Tuesday, the board also returned to a question it had left unresolved in earlier meetings—how many polling places to open on Election Day.

Originally, staff had vetted 22 locations, but one dropped out due to ongoing construction, leaving 21 confirmed sites for the smaller plan. The additional seven sites needed to reach 28 have not all been contacted or confirmed, election supervisor Farris told the board.

Despite the incomplete confirmations, the board approved a motion to move ahead with 28 polling locations, with the understanding that the list could be amended later, if any site ultimately declines.