WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Primary elections take place tomorrow, across Indiana.
While there are no statewide votes or elections taking place tomorrow, several municipal elections will determine party candidates for this November’s general election.
Early voting in Monroe County ended at noon, today. Earlier this year, the Ellettsville Town Council voted to suspend primary elections, since there are no contested races in Ellettsville at this time.
Bloomington residents will have a chance to cast their ballots for Mayor and city council representatives in contested races. Incumbent Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton is expected to win tomorrow’s mayoral primary. Fellow Democrat and mayoral challenger Amanda Barge will still appear on ballots tomorrow, despite announcing she will concede the race, if she beats the first term incumbent mayor.
Barge was asked to resign as a Monroe County Commissioner and asked to concede the race if she wins tomorrow, after sexual harassment allegations were published in the Indiana Daily Student, in late March.
In Bloomington, 19 candidates are running for nine council seats. All but three of those candidates are Democrats, running in contested races. The exceptions are incumbent Democrat from Bloomington’s downtown district 6, Steve Volan; Republican Andrew Guenther in the city council’s District 2 race, and District 3 Democrat Ron Smith, who is running unopposed after Jim Blickensdorf dropped out of the race, in early April.
Elections Supervisor Karen Wheeler says more races could become contested before November, once the Monroe County Republican party caucuses for candidates and Independents announce their candidacy. Over 2,000 Bloomington residents cast their ballots in early or absentee voting.
