The image links to the unofficial final results issued by Monroe County’s election division on Nov. 8, 2022.
In races for Monroe County offices, outcomes for the 2022 general election on Wednesday night fell along predictable party lines in a county that leans heavy for Democrats.
So in contested races, the Democratic Party’s nominee won the race for sheriff (Ruben Marté over Nathan Williamson), county commissioner (Lee Jones over Perry Robinson), county councilor (Peter Iversen over Jim Allen), circuit court judge (Emily Salzmann over Carl Lamb), and recorder (Amy Swain over Paul White, Sr.)
Results from Monroe County precincts will be published as updates to this article as they are available.
In her last update of the evening Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne cautioned not to expect results immediately after polls close.
Browne’s email said, “I want to strongly caution you against expecting early returns.” Browne continued, “We thank you for your patience as we work to get you totals in the most expeditious time frame possible. A delay in regular reporting simply means the Election Board is hard at work for you.”
Voters who joined the line just before the closing of the polls are one reason instant results can’t be reported.
Geography also plays a role. There’s some physical distance that has to be covered, when teams from Election Day polling locations across the county pack up their ballots, the memory devices from the ballot scanners, and other election documentation, and turn in the whole package to Election Central.
Election Central is in downtown Bloomington, located at 7th and Madison streets in the old Johnson’s Hardware building.
Election operations center at 3rd and Walnut Streets.
An Indiana Daily Student reporter interviewed people standing in line.
Clear skies early Election Day morning around 5 a.m. meant the “blood moon” from the lunar eclipse was on full display against the western sky behind the Monroe County courthouse dome.
An hour later, a couple blocks south of the courthouse at 3rd and Walnut streets, around a dozen people were standing in line, waiting for the door to the election operations center to open.
The official opening of the polls was set for 6 a.m. The door opened about six minutes later than that, with the traditional “Hear ye, hear ye, the polls are open!”
That was followed by a quick apology for the delay and some news that disappointed some voters who were standing in line: Voters could check in, but there were no ballots yet. The B Square saw one voter leave on hearing that news.
It took a few minutes to sort out the confusion. Election board member Donovan Garletts called The B Square to report that the ballots were in the locked ballot room, but election workers on site did not have a key. Once the key was tracked down, the ballots needed for that voting location were available.
A voter who left the polling site about ten minutes later, saying that there were no ballots, might have simply been in the wrong voting location. Garletts said one voter from Benton Township had wanted to vote at the 3rd and Walnut, shortly after the polling location opened—but that location is not supposed to have ballots for the Benton Township precinct.
Benton is not among the seven different precincts that vote at the 3rd and Walnut location: Bloomington 3, Bloomington 7, Bloomington 22, Perry 6, Perry 8, Perry 15, Perry 31.
According to Monroe County clerk Nicole Browne’s 7 a.m. update, 62 people voted at the 3rd and Walnut location in the first hour.
Monroe County has set up an interactive map where voters can find the location where they are supposed to vote.
At a meeting of Republican Party precinct chairs held at Ellettsville town hall on Tuesday evening, they gave county party chair Taylor Bryant the authority to fill vacancies on the Nov. 8 election ballot.
Bryant would have until noon on July 3 fill ballot vacancies.
Before the vote, county vice chair William Ellis said Bryant’s authority is just for cases where no GOP candidate filed for the May 3 primary election, and does not extend to filling a vacancy for an office due to resignation or death.
As of Tuesday, the GOP does not have on-the-ballot candidates for several Monroe County races, like prosecutor, clerk, assessor, and two judgeships. That’s due in part to the fact that Monroe County voters favor Democratic Party candidates. In the 2020 presidential race, Democrat Joe Biden won over Republican Donald Trump by a 28-point margin.
Responding to a B Square question after Tuesday’s meeting, Bryant said for township trustee and township board positions she’s heard some interest expressed from potential candidates. About county-level positions, Bryant said, “We’ve had some conversations—I don’t know if we’re going to get anybody for those.” Continue reading “Monroe County GOP gives greenlight to county chair to fill ballot vacancies”→
Last Thursday’s meeting of the Monroe County election board included at least one newsy item: Election workers are still needed for the May 3, 2022 primary elections.
Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler. (B Square file photo from Jan. 5, 2022, the first day of candidate filings)
Early in-person voting starts on April 5, which is just four weeks away. That makes the need to get enough workers on board somewhat urgent. They are paid $14 an hour.
The update on election workers was delivered by Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler.
Here’s how she put it: “The Democrats and the Republicans are both scrambling trying to get people in. Usually, the Democrats have plenty of workers, but at this point, they don’t—meaning they also need people as well as the Republicans.”
Every aspect of election work has to be partisan balanced, down to the granular details. Every time a ballot is touched, a Republican and a Democrat have to be a part of the process. Whenever she talks about that, Wheeler will use shorthand: “You have to have a D and an R for every step.”
Election workers who staff the in-person early voting polls this year will be part of an historic first: The first use of the former NAPA building at the corner of 3rd and Walnut streets as a polling location.
Preparations continue for the May 3 primary elections in Monroe County.
Twenty-nine polling sites were approved by Monroe County’s board of commissioners at their regular Wednesday morning meeting.
The approved sites are mostly the same locations that have been used in the past. Among the sites that are not on the list this year is Genesis Church. A new polling site this year is Bloomington High School North.
Information about which precincts vote at which polling sites will be forthcoming, deputy county clerk Tressia Martin told commissioners.
Also approved by commissioners on Wednesday were several items related to the creation of an early in-person voting site in downtown Bloomington.
Republicans from left: James Allen (candidate for County Council District 1); Pamela Samples (candidate for Ellettsville Town Council; Perry Robinson (candidate for county commissioner District 1); Taylor Bryant (GOP county chair); Nathan Williamson (candidate for sheriff).
Republican candidate for county council District 1
Democrats Allison Chopra (candidate for judge), and Peter Iversen (county council candidate District 1).
Democrats from left: Jennifer Crossley (candidate for county council District 4), David Henry (Democratic Party vice chair), and Peter Iversen (county council candidate District 1)
Democrat Efrat Feferman, candidate for Bloomington Township trustee.
Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler.
County election supervisor Karen Wheeler shakes hands with Perry Robinson, Republican candidate for county commissioner, District 1.
Democrat Michelle Bright (candidate for Benton Township trustee).
Publicly announced intentions and exploratory committees are one thing. Official candidate filings are another.
Wednesday was the first day when it was possible to declare an official candidacy for one of the state or county public offices up for election in 2022.
Election Central, at 7th and Madison streets in downtown Bloomington, was not exactly teeming with candidate filing activity through the day on Wednesday.
Saturday’s voice vote by the party’s precinct committeemen and committeewomen was not controversial. It’s not a dramatic change in party leadership. Her election just elevated Bryant from party vice chair to chair.
And Bryant’s first appointment, to fill her vacant vice chair spot, was a familiar face—William Ellis, who up to now has served as party chair. Saturday’s news could be fairly described as a simple swap in the roles of Ellis and Bryant.
