It was a day of uncommon voter turnout across the state, and Rush County experienced high voter turnout as well for the May Primary election.

The numbers prove that area registered voters wanted to make sure that their voice was heard in this presidential race, as it is the first time in nearly 40 years that Indiana has had a significant impact on the outcome of that race.

4,828 machine ballots were cast in 20 precincts in Rush County, along with 473 absentee ballots, totaling 5,301 total votes. There are 12,518 registered voters in Rush County.

The day, however, was not without its problems. According to Rush County Democrat Party Chair Anna Karen Pennington, a problem arose in Ripley Township early in the morning.

“At the polling location for precincts 9 and 10 at Fletcher United Methodist Church, Republican party signs were posted throughout the property,” Pennington said. “Early on, we had made an agreement with this particular location to not post signs on election day as they were concerned about losing their exemption certificate. This was an example of how we followed through and the other side didn’t. But, of course, what we had did not compare to everywhere else.”

Rush County Republican Party Chair John McCane also addressed the situation.

“It was a miscommunication, and we certainly appreciate our polling sites and fixed the situation immediately,” he said. “With the statewide voting system there were glitches, but in every case, to my knowledge, everyone got a chance to vote and make their voice heard. We had some conscientious poll workers who updated the system and matched signatures as needed, and I think in Rush County the system worked very very well.”

Elsewhere throughout the state, various hiccups were reported. In South Bend, for example, a group of nuns were turned away by one of their own sisters for not having proper photo identification.

In Connersville, a poll worker didn’t show up to the Glenwood Fire Department at 5:30 a.m. as was scheduled, and was found later in Ohio.

Voter turnout was not only high Tuesday, but even before the polls officially opened.

Statewide, 173,000 absentee ballots were cast, 473 of those in Rush County. Early voting turnout was three times higher than during the last presidential primary in 2004. Indiana's primary record is 1 million votes in 1992, according to our news gathering partners at WISH-TV.

Elizabeth Gist can be contacted at elizabeth.gist@rushvillerepublican.com or at (765) 932-3111 ext. 109. Add a comment to this story at www.rushvillerepublican.com.