Turnout, Absentee Ballots Up In Primary Election

Across the state, over 870,000 thousand people cast ballots in Indiana’s 2018 primary election, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. This mean about a fifth of voters turned out for the midterm, which is an increase over the last midterm primary and a return to typical turnout seen since 2000. The highest turnout was in Jay County (57 percent), followed by Crawford County (37 percent). Vanderburgh County had the lowest turnout. Only 1 in 10 register voter cast a ballot. On average, Indiana counties experienced a 24% voter turnout.

Indiana’s 2018 Primary Election Voter Turnout by County

Voter turnout increased 46 percent compared to the 2014 midterm primary, however, it is slightly below the average turnout of the other three midterm elections since 2000. The 2014 midterm primary had exceptionally low turnout, but the last election was a return to typical turnout levels.

Indiana’s Primary Election Turnouts

Voter Turnout by Type of Election

Absentee Ballots on the Rise

Absentee Ballots Have Increased as a Share of Total Votes

Pct. of Indiana’s Votes Cast as Absentee by Year

About 20 percent of votes were cast through absentee ballots in this year’s primary election. This is the highest percentage of absentee ballots that have been cast in an Indiana primary election, up 4 points from the 2016 and 2014 primary elections. The number of total absentee ballots that were cast in this year’s primary is the highest of any midterm primary election, almost doubling the number of absentee votes cast in 2014.

The counties with the highest percentage of votes cast through absentee ballots were Switzerland (70 percent) and Cass (51 percent). The counties with the lowest percentage of votes cast through absentee ballots were Shelby (6 percent) and Marion (8 percent). On average, Indiana counties had 22 percent of votes cast through absentee ballots.

Indiana’s 2018 Primary Election Absentee Ballots by County