It's Election Day. What you need to know in Central Indiana.
Voters throughout the state are heading to make their picks for mayor, city council and other municipal races in the primary today.
Locally, the primary has historically been pretty ho-hum in Marion County, but that changed this year. The end of party-backed slating has led to more competitive Democratic and Republican primaries, and early voter turnout has skyrocketed 300% in Marion County from four years ago.
Mayor Joe Hogsett is seeking the Democratic nomination for a third term in a crowded field that includes state Rep. Robin Shackleford. On the also-packed Republican side, former City-County Councilor Jefferson Shreve has spent $2 million as of Monday with perhaps his greatest challenge against political commentator and lawyer Abdul-Hakim Shabazz.
It's clear voters have noticed the races. As of Monday morning, Marion County early voting locations saw 12,387 voters, according to numbers from the Marion County Clerk's Office. In 2019, that number was 2,735. The clerk's office has received 2,913 mail ballots as of Monday morning, compared to 1,101 in 2019.
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Carmel, Westfield to pick new mayors
Many eyes will be on Carmel and Westfield, which have competitive Republican primaries to replace longtime mayors Jim Brainard and Andy Cook, two Republicans who helped shape their cities but are not running for reelection.
In Carmel, City Councilor Sue Finkam, former Hamilton County Councilor Fred Glynn and city councilor and restaurateur Kevin “Woody” Rider are running for the Republican nomination. The winner will face Democrat Miles Nelson in November, who is running unopposed.
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In Westfield, plan commission member Kristen Burkman, city councilor and high school football coach Jake Gilbert and City Councilor Scott Willis are running for the Republican nomination.
No candidates from other parties have filed, meaning today's winner will likely become Westfield’s next mayor.
In Hamilton County, the election office tallied 6,256 voters at early voting locations and 2,172 returned mail ballots. During the 2019 municipal primary, Hamilton County's election office saw 6,101 in-person early voters and 1,733 mail ballots.
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Beech Grove, Greenwood, Greenfield, Lawrence and Zionsville
Other Central Indiana communities with contested mayoral races include Beech Grove, Greenwood, Greenfield, Lawrence and Zionsville.
Notably, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers is seeking a fourth term against challenger Joe Hubbard and in Zionsville former teacher Jane Burgess and former WTHR anchor John Stehr, both Republicans, are vying to replace Democrat Emily Styron, who is not seeking reelection.
Voters will pick new mayors in three cities. Republican Chuck Fewell is not running again in Greenfield nor is Republican Steve Collier in Lawrence nor is Democrat Dennis Buckley in Beech Grove.
In Greenfield, Republican Tyler Rankins, a street commissioner, is running against Republican City Councilor Kerry Grass. The winner will face Democrat Nate Anderson.
In Lawrence, two Democratic city council members, Deb Whitfield and Shawn Denney, hope to get the nomination to replace Collier. The winner will face Republican Deputy Mayor David Hofmann, a former police chief.
In Beech Grove, Clerk-Treasurer James Coffman and Christian radio show host Jay Wright are running for the Republican nod, while Democrat Rick Skirvin is unopposed.
Fadness, Jensen, Cooney uncontested
Some mayors will be on the ballot but face no competition. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen and Southport Mayor James Cooney, all Republicans, are unopposed in both the primary and general elections.
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Polls are open 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. today. Check your voter registration and more at indianavoters.in.gov. Find election results and more this evening at indystar.com.
Contact IndyStar's Carmel and Westfield reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter @CarloniBrittany.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: It's Election Day. What you need to know in Central Indiana.
