Polls open next two Saturdays

Greene County voters can visit polling places for the next two Saturdays, a first under a new plan to expand options for local voters.

As part of the Vote Center Plan, the Greene County Voter Registration Office will open polling locations the two Saturdays before the May 8 primary election.

This Saturday, April 28, Greene County residents can vote at the Center Township Fire Department, located at 12116 E. State Road 54, Bloomfield from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Polls will open again next Saturday, May 5 at the East Shelter House in Linton City Park with the same hours.

Voter Registration Clerk Teressa Smith noted voters can also vote at the Greene County Courthouse during from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 28 and May 5.

Voters must have a valid state issued driver’s license or ID card to vote.

This is the first year Greene County will serve as a Vote Center county, which has a goal of saving the county thousands of dollars each year with fewer voting centers and therein reducing the number of election day workers needed.

Voters can continue to cast their votes at the Greene County Courthouse in the Voter Registration Office until noon on May 7. Until the final day, votes can be cast from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Smith previously gave a breakdown of the previous polling placings, showcasing the major discrepancies in the number of voters utilizing each location.

For example, last year Cass Township had its own polling place in Newberry, with only 196 active registered voters, according to information provided in the Vote Center plan. Meanwhile, other polling places throughout the county had up to 2,600 registered to visit a single polling place. Most averaged between 1,000 and 1,500 active voters registered. Even with the number of active voters registered in each precinct, only a portion of those actually turn out on election day.

There will be 10 polling places open on Election Day this year, with Greene County voters able to visit any polling place within the county -- not just within their district.

• Jasonville Fire Department

• Worthington Town Hall

• Center Township Fire Department (Bloomfield)

• Roy Clark Building (Linton Park)

• Bloomfield Fire Department

• Lyons Community Building

• 4-H Fairgrounds building

• Taylor Township Fire Department (Owensburg)

• Eastern Fire Department (Solsberry)

For more information, contact the Voter Registration Office at 812-384-2015.

Candidates on the 2018 primary election ballot are:

• Circuit Court Judge:

Erik (Chip) Allen (R), incumbent

• Prosecuting Attorney:

Jarrod D. Holtsclaw (R), incumbent

• Auditor:

Matthew Baker (R)

Christopher M. Wathen (R)

• Recorder:

Sarah Bender (R)

• Coroner:

George Ockerman (R), incumbent

Brian Gainey (D)

Joseph Graves (R)

• Clerk:

Stuart A. Dowden (R)

• Sheriff:

Michael L. Hasler (R), incumbent

• Assessor:

Dawn Abrams (R), incumbent

Lorena “Renie” Powell (R)

• County Council Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4

- District 1 (serves Beech Creek 1 and 2, Fairplay, Highland and Richland 1-4)

Joe Huntington (R), incumbent

- District 2 (serves Cass, Center 1 and 2, Grant, Jackson, Taylor and Washington 1 and 2)

Kelly Zimmerly (R)

- District 3 (serves Jefferson 1 and 2, Smith, Stockton 2 and Wright 1-5)

William “Hal” Harp (D), incumbent

Ronald L. Lehman (R)

- District 4 (services Stafford, Stockton 1 and Stockton 3-7)

Brent Murray (D)

Michael L. Riggleman (D), incumbent

• County Commissioner District 3 (serves Grant, Smith, Stafford, Stockton 1-7, Washington 2 and Wright 1-5)

Rick Graves (R), incumbent

• All township trustees

- Beech Creek

Gregory A. “Greg” Thacker (R), incumbent

- Cass

Lucas B. Sipes (D), incumbent

(Advisory board, Rebecca Arthur (D), incumbent)

- Center

Garry “Spec” Jackson (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Debbie Jackson (D); W. Edward Cullison (R); Dustin Payne (R))

- Fairplay

Aleta Crowe (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Terry L. Koons (D), incumbent; Jake White (R), incumbent)

- Grant

Melonie Graves (R)

(Advisory board, Randolph Miller (R), incumbent; Keith J. Jones (R), incumbent; Charles E. Hines (R), incumbent)

- Highland

Brian Kollmeyer (R), incumbent

- Jackson

Randyl “Randy” McCauley (R)

Seth H. Wagner (R)

Anna M. Fields (R)

(Advisory board, Paul A. Cullison (R), incumbent; Sandra D. Fields (D); Buddy D. Fields (R), incumbent)

- Jefferson

Risa Dyer (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Charles Strickler (R), incumbent; Vern Spoor (R), incumbent; Janet S. “Jan” Cox (R), incumbent; Gerald Murdock (D))

- Richland

Susan K. “Sue” Brown (R)

JoAnn Carmichael (R)

(Advisory board, Randall Brown (R), incumbent; Kenneth Mendenhall (R), incumbent; Roger B. Doane (D), incumbent; Leon Allen (R); William E. “Bill” Rollins (R); Ronald “Ron” Wise (R))

- Smith

Terry Blanton (R), incumbent

- Stafford

Curtis Anderson (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Jane Ann Williams (D), incumbent)

- Stockton

Donna Smith (D), incumbent

(Advisory board, James Gregory (D), incumbent; Dennis Gentry (D), incumbent; Geoge Skeel (D), incumbent; Charles “Charlie” Cox (D))

- Taylor

Charles “Chuck” Crouch (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Anthony B. Lott II (R); Leslie B. Ayers (R); Steven J. Rollins (R), incumbent)

- Washington

Jay Kaho (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Scott Kaho (R), incumbent; Tracy Norris (D), incumbent; Eric Waggoner (R), incumbent)

- Wright

Carolyn “Sue” Hubbell (R), incumbent

(Advisory board, Jay B. Criss (D), incumbent; Robert Boruff (D), incumbent; Kristopher J. Landry (D), incumbent)