With the election less than two months away, Greyhounds are preparing, some for the first time, to cast their ballots, though some may be unsure where to do so.
According to Director of Policy and Communication at the Marion County Clerk’s Office Dan Goldblatt, there is a variety of polling locations for UIndy students to cast their votes. Though in contrast with other universities in Marion County, UIndy does not feature a polling location on campus; however, Goldblatt said Indianapolis Elementary 65, located on 4065 Asbury St, is a short ways away.
“We actually have a polling location on IU-Indianapolis’s campus at the University Library, one at Butler’s campus at Hinkle Fieldhouse, one at Ivy Tech at the Culinary Center, and one just steps from UIndy’s campus at IPS #65,” Goldblatt said. “We also have one adjacent to Marian’s campus at 1651 W. 30th St. and one just a few blocks from Marian’s campus at Brookside Park.”
While this vote center is a five-minute drive, it is around a 26-minute walk, according to Google Maps directions. In terms of how polling locations are set, Associate Professor of Political Science Laura Merrifield Wilson said it is up to the Marion County Board of Elections. Additionally, the Board of Elections typically chooses vote centers based off of how accessible the location is — especially when it comes to organizing a place to park for the tens of thousands of Marion County voters casting their vote this election and regulations associated with the voting process. In regards to a voting center on UIndy’s campus, it might not be sustainable.
“… It’s not a very publicly accessible location because we don’t have a whole lot of parking, so the first thing I would think of if I was the Board of Elections, and I’m not, but they want to find locations like church and schools where they know that there’s gonna be a lot of parking availability that day,” Wilson said.A map containing all polling locations in Marion County can be accessed through Indiana’s “IndyVOTES” vote center map online. Voters can also download a list of vote centers and access important information about voter registration deadlines and early voting dates.
