It’s Election Day. In addition to president, governor, and U.S. representative, voters will also get to decide on a number of local races.
Democrats Gary Davis and Luke Bohm are challenging incumbent Republicans Mike Bohacek and Ed Charbonneau for the local State Senate seats. Democrats Tim Gust and Michael Lovely are seeking the State Representative seats currently held by Jim Pressel and Doug Gutwein.
In Starke County, Republican Mark Gourley and Democrat Brad Hazelton are vying to fill the District 1 county commissioner seat being vacated by Kathy Norem. Six candidates are running for the three available at-large county council seats, while Democrat Monica Miller and Republican Lauri Manns Venckus are looking to replace Kay Chaffins as Starke County treasurer.
There are also a number of contested races in Pulaski County. In the race to replace Jerry Locke as District 1 County Commissioner, Republican Maurice Loehmer faces Democrat Doug Denton. Republican Laura Wheeler is seeking a second term as county auditor against Democratic Party challenger Carmin Ruff. Democrat Criston Zehner is challenging incumbent Republican Sue Fox for the county recorder’s office. Four candidates are seeking the three available at-large Pulaski County Council seats.
The Eastern Pulaski School Board has six candidates vying for the three available Monroe-Jefferson Township seats. There are also contested races on the Culver School Board, Oregon-Davis School Board, Winamac Town Council, and Medaryville Town Council.
Thousands of local residents have already voted. The Starke County Clerk’s Office says it had 4,149 residents vote early in-person. Another 1,000 have voted by mail, and 28 have requested to vote by travel board. In Pulaski County, in-person early voting was at 2,616, according to Clerk JoLynn Behny, while 660 mail-in ballots have been received, along with 10 travel board requests.
Starke and Pulaski county residents who haven’t already voted can cast a ballot today at any one of their county’s vote centers between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Starke County’s vote centers are located at the Koontz Lake Property Owners Building, James R Hardesty Community Building in Hamlet, Washington Township Community Building, Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox, North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department, San Pierre Fire Department, and Bass Lake California Township Fire Department.
Pulaski County residents can vote at the Pulaski County Highway Garage in Winamac, Francesville Fire Station, Medaryville Christian Church Annex, Star City Community Center, or Monterey Town Hall. Behny says that all of the vote centers will be able to operate normally, in spite of recent internet outages in the Francesville area. She says WiFi hotspots have been secured, to make sure the e-poll books can connect to the internet.
Those who’ve gotten mail-in ballots but haven’t turned them in yet can fill them out and deliver them to their county courthouse by noon local time. Voters may also turn them in at a vote center and vote by machine, instead.
After the polls close, listen to live election results on K99.3, starting at 6:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. CST.
