405,786: Early in-person votes in Indiana jump
Voters chose physical polling stations over the mail, driving a surge in turnout numbers ahead of the November 3 election.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
Early voting numbers in Indiana have climbed above the levels seen four years ago.
As of Tuesday, October 27, a week before the general election, 476,802 ballots were submitted statewide. This figure is 61,345 higher than the 415,547 cast at the same point during the 2022 midterm. The primary driver of this increase is a shift toward physical voting locations.
In-person early voting rose by roughly one-third compared to the previous midterm. Voters submitted 405,786 ballots in person by this date in 2026, compared to 296,792 in 2022. Conversely, mail-in participation dropped by more than 43 percent. The number of mailed ballots fell from 113,808 in 2022 to 64,721 in 2026.
Marion County, which contains Indianapolis, reflects these statewide trends. Residents in the county submitted 13,145 more early votes than they did at this time in 2022. The shift to in-person voting was even more pronounced there. Early in-person ballots in the county nearly doubled, rising from 20,789 in 2022 to 40,867 in 2026. Mail-in votes in the county declined by over 41 percent.
Voters can access details on their ballots and voting procedures through local resources. The Indianapolis voter guide is available on WFYI's website, and absentee voting information is posted at vote.indy.gov. Jeremy Reuben, a digital producer and reporter at WFYI, covered this data.
