Election Day polls for Nov. 8, 2022 have now closed in Monroe County.

The cutoff time was 6 p.m., which made for a 12-hour voting day. But anyone in line by 6 p.m. has to be allowed to cast a ballot.

Statewide results will be available on the Indiana secretary of state’s website.

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.

The B Square will add to this article with time-stamped updates from that location until the final unofficial results are in, or otherwise indicated here. Continue reading “Alea iacta est: Nov. 8, 2022 election results, served when ready” →

Monroe County courthouse. Blood moon.

Monroe County courthouse. Blood moon.

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.

Statewide results will be available on the secretary of state’s website.
Continue reading “Monroe County 2022 Election Day: Polls are OPEN” →