Abdul Weighs in on Early Voter Turnout

The publisher of IndyPolitics.org says early voter turnout has been "impressive" in Indiana. Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, who also hosts "Abdul at Large" on our partners at WIBC in Indianapolis, says voting centers throughout the state have been swarmed with "Disneyland"-like wait times. He adds, in Marion County alone, some 30,000 more early votes have been cast than in the 2016 presidential election. During an interview with Inside INdiana Business Reporter Mary-Rachel Redman, Shabazz says it’s too early to tell which candidates will benefit from the surge.

"Some people say that it, you know, may favor democrats, because (early voting draws) a lot of women, younger people minorities," Shabazz said, "but you can’t really say that, because you got lots of folks coming out in rural areas, as well. One thing we can say is that early voting turnout is definitely much higher than it was in the last mid-term (election), which was 2014."

The most high-profile of races is the battle between Democratic incumbent Senator Joe Donnelly and challengers Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton. Shabazz tabs the Senate race as a "jump ball" at this point. Hoosiers will also be going to the polls for U.S. House seats in all nine Indiana districts, as well as well as Indiana secretary of state, auditor and treasurer. Dozens of Indiana House and Indiana Senate seats are also on ballots. You can connect to a full list of all candidates included on ballots in the state by clicking here.

Election Day throughout the country is Tuesday and early and absentee voting began October 10.