Poll workers called local election turnout during the first two to three hours this morning “steady” and “consistent.” “It’s been consistent. Somebody has been in front of us consistently,” said poll inspector Jim Heierman at Center Lake Pavilion, where precincts Warsaw 5-1, 5-2 and 5-3 were casting votes. He said there have been no problems. As of 7:45 a.m., 84 people had voted at the Pavilion. “We’re all cheerful and having a good time and enjoying serving the community this morning. We’re anxious to hear the results tonight,” Heierman said. The Associated Press reported at 9:26 a.m. today that turnout was heavy in central Indiana’s Johnson County, where voters faced waits in long lines, with more than 11,000 people who had voted at the county’s early voting walk-in centers, and thousands of others mailed in ballots. In Marion County, the clerk’s office said around 8 a.m. that it was too early to say whether turnout was heavier than normal, while in Hancock County some polling stations were facing periodic technical problems. Voters in Warsaw 2nd Ward, 2nd Precinct were taking part in the election in the City Council Chambers. “Turnout is brisk,” said inspector Jack Volkers. “We’re seeing more than what we normally do.” In the first two hours, he said 25 people voted. In the entire primary last year, when city-level positions were up, he said they only had 79 voters. “We’ve seen more Democratic voters than we normally do,” he said, noting that the party has candidates and a presidential race for this May primary. First-time voters Logan Miller, 19, and Shelby Hepler, 21, both of Warsaw, voted in Warsaw 4-1 at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church. “This election is kind of big and it’s my first time I was able to vote. It’s like a try-it kind of thing,” Miller said. She voted Democrat and for Bernie Sanders. “He just follows my views more,” she said. Hepler also voted Democrat and for Sanders. “He just seems to be in the right area compared to everyone else. Everyone else is too extreme,” she said. Miller said Hillary Clinton “irks” her and that she flips flops on issues. Hepler said she was trying to vote for the “least evil” candidate. Inspector Bill Huffer said turnout at Saint Anne’s was “going much better than last time.” By 8 a.m. today, they had 39 voters, compared to 32 for the whole 12 hours in last year’s primary, he said. “We’ve had a lot of new people. I’m seeing a lot of people I haven’t seen before. We are encouraged,” he said. He estimated there were more Democrats this time than last, but Republicans were turning out more by a margin of 2 to 1. “I think we’ve seen more Democrats than before,” Huffer said. Oakwood Cemetery Memorial Chapel hosted the Warsaw 1-2 precinct. “We’re doing well. We haven’t had any problems. We’ve had a steady flow,” reported inspector Linda Stouder. In the first two hours, she said they had 35 people turn out. “For this precinct, we usually have a steady number. We have just a nice flow. We’re about where we normally are at this hour. Usually we have a rush at lunch,” Stouder said. She also noted they’ve seen more people ask for the Democratic ballot than years past, but “not as much as eight years ago when it was Obama versus Hillary.” Kathy Lemp, of Warsaw, who turns 60 Sunday, voted at Oakwood. “I did not want to pick Trump or Hillary,” the Republican said. “I voted for Ted Cruz because I thought he was the best choice and I already had strong feelings for the other two I mentioned.” At the North Webster Community Center, which hosted polling places for Tippecanoe Township Precincts 1 through 4, 637 people had voted by 10 a.m., according to poll workers. There are 4,925 registered voters in those four precincts. Precincts Wayne 2, 3, 4 and 10 voted in the Gordon Student Recreational Center in Winona Lake. Wayne 4 inspector Martha Nunez said, “I think it’s been steady. It’s been pretty steady. We’ve always had people in here.” Kathy Kerin, Wayne 2 inspector, said, “It’s been steady, but I can’t say it’s been heavy. It’s pretty much the same people I’ve seen year after year. The die-hards have been here.” She said they usually get a rush during lunch or after people get off work. For Wayne 2 and 4, 167 voters had turned out as of about 8:30 a.m. “We’ve got over 1,000 registered voters in our precinct,” said Keirn, who also noted they didn’t have any issues. Wayne 10 inspector Karen Wildman said turnout was “more than normal, steady.” She said they didn’t experience any problems. “We’ll have another rush at lunch time or dinner, around 5, typically when people get off work,” she said. Wayne 3 and 10 shared five voting machines. Two of them had 57 voters as of about 9 a.m., with the other three occupied with voters so they couldn’t be checked at the time. “So maybe a little over a hundred, which is better than normal at this time of day,” Wildman said. Janice Workman, Wayne 3 inspector, said turnout was “steady.” “It’s more than a normal election, but not as much as I would have expected it to be,” she said. A lot of new faces did turn out, she stated. Greg Garber, 57, Winona Lake, voted Republican at the Gordon Rec Center but he didn’t want to say who he voted for today. He has voted in about every election since he was 18, missing only one or two. “I feel it’s all of our responsibility as American citizens to get out and vote,” he said. He said the election this year “will have a huge effect on America depending who gets the presidential seat.” Indiana’s polls close at 6 p.m.
