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ANDERSON, Ind. — Tuesday night saw several tight races across central Indiana where just a few votes could’ve swung an election.
Out of the nearly 30 mayoral primary races in the area, top two candidates in five races were separated by less than 4% of votes. Three of those races saw less than 1% of separation between the winner and runner-up.
”I do think it should give voters a tremendous amount of confidence to know they could be the deciding vote,” said Laura Wilson, an associate professor of Political Science at the University of Indianapolis.
Anderson saw the tightest races out of anyone in central Indiana. The mayoral primary saw Democrat incumbent Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. edge out challenger Rodney Chamberlain by just 32 votes.
The Republican side of the race was even closer. Joe Bell won the nomination over Robert Jozwiak by four votes and over Carol Miller by 13 votes.
People we talked to in Anderson said the tight margin shows how just a few people could’ve swung the election.
”A lot of people think their vote doesn’t matter, some people do,” said Samantez Nave, an Anderson resident. “So, I think its important people get out and vote.”
Across central Indiana, some counties saw higher than normal turnout for these elections.
Marion County saw nearly 10,000 more people vote early in-person and almost 13,000 more show up to cast a ballot of election day than in the 2019 Municipal Primary. Overall, 30,000 more people voted in the 2023 Municipal Primary than in the 2019 Municipal Primary in Marion County.
Wilson said we’ve seen an increase in voter turnout since 2016 across the country.
”We’ve seen this now in local races this year. We saw this in congressional midterms and presidential,” Wilson said.
The election in Anderson and Madison County were on the opposite side of things.
The Madison County Election Office reports 17.49% of registered voters in Madison County casted a ballot in the election. A representative of the office said that is down roughly a percent from the Municipal Primary in 2019, when 18.51% of registered voters showed up to the polls.
”That’s sad, that means 83% of the people stayed home,” said Steve Jackson, an Anderson voter. “What did they do? Why didn’t they go vote?”
With how tight the races are in Anderson, a recount is possible.
“When it’s that close, why not?” Jackson asked.
Rodney Chamberlain, the runner-up in the Democrat mayoral race, said he is in the process of filing for a recount.
”A recount is a democratic way to approach a close race and after that whatever the count is what should be held firm,” Wilson said.
The Madison County Election Office said candidates have until May 16 to file paperwork asking for a recount.
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