Despite signs of high turnout in Marion County during the early voting period, far fewer voters cast a ballot compared to previous presidential elections.
Just under 50% of registered voters cast a ballot this year, according to preliminary Marion County Election Board data, amounting to about 324,709 residents.
Fewer voters appeared to cast a ballot in the county this year than in the past four presidential elections. Data from 2024 is not final until provisional and military ballots have been counted Nov. 15.
Dan Goldblatt, spokesperson for the Marion County Clerk’s office, said he expects this year’s turnout rate to be around 54% when all votes are accounted for.
The rate of turnout — the percent of votes cast out of the number of voters who were registered — was the among lowest for a presidential election year since at least 1988, according to the election board data.
The high rate of early voting was likely fueled by past experiences of long lines on Election Day, according to Laura Merrifield Wilson, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis.
Voters “are worried they won’t be able to vote as easily otherwise and that long lines in early voting are not nearly as long as they will be on Election Day,” she said in an email.
But since high turnout did not sustain itself on Election Day, Merrifield Wilson said it reveals a “critical paradox” around the argument that expanding voting access alone is enough to drive voter turnout.
Indiana frequently ranks near the bottom in the country for voter turnout. Expanding early voting options is seen as a way to make it easier for more people to vote.
“Voters will utilize early voting options, but it seems that these are just voters who would have otherwise cast ballots on Election Day and instead are taking advantage of their ability to vote earlier,” she said.
A clarification was made on Nov. 6, 2024: This year’s turnout in Marion County was among the lowest since 1988.
Reach Mirror Indy reporter Emily Hopkins at 317-790-5268 or emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
