Downtown Indianapolis businesses prep for possible unrest
Some buildings and businesses in downtown Indianapolis have boarded up windows and taken other security steps to prepare for possible unrest surrounding Election Day.
Some buildings and businesses in downtown Indianapolis have boarded up windows and taken other security steps to prepare for possible unrest surrounding Election Day.
Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics announced the rating change Monday morning for the tight race between Republican state Sen. Victoria Spartz and former Democratic state lawmaker Christina Hale.
Democrats’ increased participation and slight gains in recent Hamilton County elections may be part of a long-term strategy, but local party officials don’t think that will result in many county-level victories on Nov. 3.
In Marion County, “a large volume of absentee votes” will take days to get counted once that process begins on Tuesday, said Russell Hollis, deputy director of the Marion County Clerk’s Office. As a result, key races are not expected be decided on Election Night.
The decision comes after voter complaints of lines at early-voting centers that were several hours long.
Inside Elections made the rating change this week for the tight race between Republican state Sen. Victoria Spartz and former Democratic state lawmaker Christina Hale. Money has been pouring into the race, with nearly $12 million spent on TV advertising alone.
Iowa-based Vote Smart issued a statement Wednesday that said Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston is airing an ad that attacks his opponent, Democrat Aimee Rivera Cole, “with information he knows to be false.”
The sell-off began two weeks ago but intensified Monday. It has been triggered by a surge in coronavirus cases and the fact that the White House and Democrats are at an impasse over relief talks.
With four seats on the seven-member board up for election, the outcome could easily shift the balance of power in the district.
The decision will require unanimous support from the three-member Marion County Election Board, which consists of two Democrats and one Republican.
During the discussion, the candidates answered questions about job creation, broadband internet, marijuana, a COVID-19 vaccine, racial disparities, redistricting and what time zone Indiana should be.
Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge is extending early voting hours in her office beginning Wednesday as the county tries to accommodate an unprecedented number of voters casting early ballots, leading to hours-long lines.
Through Monday, 125,506 voters in Marion County had already cast a ballot, either in person or by mail.
Federal judges have upheld a law unique to Indiana that prohibits voters from asking county judges to extend voting hours beyond the state’s 6 p.m. closing time because of Election Day troubles.
A Pence aide said Sunday that the vice president would continue to work and travel, including for campaigning, after his chief of staff and some other close contacts tested positive. Pence tested negative on Sunday and decided to keep traveling after consulting White House medical personnel, his aides said.
Even as he’s worked to lead the state through the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Eric Holcomb has managed to raise millions of dollars for his reelection campaign.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, put their absentee ballots in a drop-off box about 8:15 a.m. Friday, shortly after the polls opened in the Indianapolis City-County Building.
A candidate for the Indianapolis Public Schools board resigned from his position as president of the Indiana Young Democrats this spring amid a controversy over his unauthorized withdrawal of $3,800 from the group’s account.
In the campaign’s closing debate, President Trump and Joe Biden largely shelved the rancor that overshadowed their previous battle in favor of a more substantive exchange that highlighted different approaches to major domestic and foreign challenges facing the nation.
Deep-pocketed political action committees have thrown their support into four races for Indianapolis Public Schools board seats, helping candidates who back partnerships with charter schools to far outraise their competitors.