Early voting numbers across Indiana are climbing faster than they did four years ago, driven by a sharp rise in voters casting ballots in person while mail-in participation drops significantly.
Ballot Totals Outpace 2022 Midterm Benchmarks
With just one week remaining before the November 3 midterm elections, voters across Indiana have submitted a combined total of 476,802 ballots, according to data reported by WFYI. That figure marks an increase of 61,345 ballots compared to the 415,547 cast by the exact same point ahead of the 2022 midterm cycle.
The overall growth rests entirely on in-person voting trends. Statewide, residents cast 405,786 early ballots in person by this point in the current cycle, representing roughly a one-third increase from the 296,792 in-person early votes recorded at the equivalent juncture in 2022.
Mail-in voting tells a different story. Ballots submitted through the mail dropped by more than 43% across the state. While voters had mailed 113,808 ballots at this stage in 2022, that total fell to 64,721 this year.
Marion County Turnout Mirrors Statewide Patterns
Central Indiana’s Marion County mirrors the broader statewide shift away from postal ballots toward physical polling locations. Seven days before the midterm, Marion County residents had submitted 13,145 more total votes than they had by the same point in 2022.
Mail-in participation in Indianapolis dropped by more than 41% compared to the previous midterm election. Meanwhile, in-person voting nearly doubled inside the city, climbing from 20,789 ballots cast by this point in 2022 to 40,867 ballots so far in 2026.
Federal Election Monitors Prepare for Arrival
As turnout numbers rise, several Indiana counties are bracing for the arrival of federal election monitors ahead of Election Day. Up to 12 monitors are expected to arrive in Marion County, with another dozen heading to Lake County near Chicago. Both regions represent heavily blue areas that host the state’s only Democratic representatives in Congress.
Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell noted that the incoming observers will remain at least 50 feet away from polling place entrances, mirroring the distance required for individuals distributing campaign literature.
Their default position is to remain outside and not enter the voting location unless state law otherwise permits their entry. In our agency’s view, our state law does not give federal monitors access to enter any voting location,
an Indiana Election Division official stated, as reported by Indiana Public Radio.
Timeline to Election Day
Early voting in Indiana continues through Monday at noon. On Tuesday, November 3, physical polling locations open across the state from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time.
