Voter Turnout Numbers Show More Early, Rural Voters

The state released registration and voter turnout numbers Friday for the General Election.

A little more than half of the 700,000 registered voters in Marion County showed up to vote in last month’s election. Turnout statewide for the General Election landed at 58 percent, which is roughly where general election numbers have been for the last 20 years.

But Secretary of State Connie Lawson says one data point jumped out to her.

“One of the biggest surprises really was the early voting. Thirty-three percent of the people who voted in the election voted early,” Lawson says.

Early voting, also known as absentee voting, has jumped significantly in recent years, from 9 percent in 2000 to 33 percent this year.

Lawson also says number indicate a higher-than-average showing from rural counties.

While ballots in some states are still being counted, it looks like the country’s final turnout percentage will match Indiana’s.