Polls are open: A Last-Minute Voter Guide

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will be open until 6 p.m. Tuesday. Here's what you need to know: Ballots. Candidate Q&As. Where to vote. Rides to the polls. And then some.

Polls are open from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. for today’s Election Day.

There are contested races on Tippecanoe County ballots for president, governor, U.S. Senate and Houses, Indiana attorney general, several Indiana General Assembly seats, Tippecanoe County commissioner and Tippecanoe County Council at-large seats, several county elected seats, and Lafayette, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe school corporation school boards.

A few things to know before heading to the polls.

CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION/YOUR BALLOT

To check your voter registration and to see candidates and public questions that will be on your specific ballot, go to the Secretary of State’s portal at www.indianavoters.com.

ELECTION DAY VOTE CENTERS

Voting on Tuesday, Nov. 5, will be 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Registered voters in Tippecanoe County may choose any of these sites. Polls will stay open for anyone in line by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Lafayette

• Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1406 Teal Road

• Lafayette Community Church of the Nazarene, 3801 Union St.

• Evangelical Covenant Church, 3600 S. Ninth St.

• Tippecanoe County Historical Association History Center, 522 Columbia St.

• Wea Ridge Baptist Church, 1051 E. County Road 430 South

• Eastside Assembly of God, 6121 E. County Road 50 South

• Northend Community Center, 2000 Elmwood Ave.

West Lafayette

• Faith West Community Center, 1920 Northwestern Ave.

• Margerum City Hall/West Lafayette City Hall, 222 N. Chauncey Ave.

• Connection Point Church, 2541 Cumberland Ave.

• John Dennis Wellness Center, 1101 Kalberer Road

Others

• Dayton Gathering Point Church, 7201 Wesleyan Drive, Dayton

• Shadeland Town Hall, 2485 Indiana 25 West, Shadeland

• Battle Ground Fire Station, 112 North St., Battle Ground

• Tippecanoe Township Volunteer Fire Station No. 2, 448 W. County Road 650 North, West Lafayette

BRING A PROPER ID

Registered voters need to show identification at the polls. A valid ID includes an Indiana driver's license, passport, a military ID, a physical Purdue student ID or a Vote Ready ID for students. (Purdue makes vote ready IDs available in Room 336 of the Krach Leadership Center for students who only have the university’s mobile IDs).  

RIDES TO THE POLLS

• CITYBUS RIDES FREE TUESDAY: Tippecanoe County’s Democratic and Republican parties will chip in to cover fares, offering free rides on CityBus routes on Election Day, Nov. 5. The move will cover CityBus’ regular routes in Lafayette and West Lafayette, in an effort to make it easier to get vote centers and reduce transportation issues that could keep someone from casting a ballot that day.“CityBus is happy to be a partner in bringing free rides to our community on Election Day,” Bryan Smith, CityBus CEO, said in a release. “The collaborative, citizens-first approach that our Tippecanoe County political leaders take is a testimony to who we are as a community, and CityBus is proud to be a part of this effort.” CityBus FLEX and CityBus ACCESS also will offer free rides to polling locations for riders who use those services. For bus routes, check gocitybus.com.

• FREE RIDES FOR PURDUE STUDENTS TO OFF-CAMPUS POLLS: With no on-campus vote center open on Election Day, Purdue Student Government is sponsoring free rides Tuesday to one of five vote centers: Faith West Community Center, Connection Point Church and the John Dennis Wellness Center in West Lafayette, and the Northend Community Center and Tippecanoe County Historical Association in Lafayette. The rides will start at 10 a.m. at the Purdue Co-Rec and will run as needed, according to Purdue Student Government. Barb Clark, a member of the League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette, said the project came about as community members offered to help get students to off-campus vote centers other than West Lafayette City Hall, which is three blocks from campus. Clark said First United Methodist Church, Trinity United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation offered their 13-passenger buses for the Election Day rides.

ON THE BALLOT

Here are candidates and questions on Tippecanoe County ballots for the Nov. 5 general election. (Incumbents are marked with an asterisk*.) To see your specific ballot, go to the Secretary of State’s portal at www.indianavoters.com.

Tippecanoe County

• Commissioner, District 2: David Byers*, R; Steve Mayoras, Libertarian

• Commissioner, District 3: Tom Murtaugh*, R; Jaime Ortiz, Libertarian

• County Council, at-large (choose 3): Republicans: John Basham*, Barry Richard* and Kevin Underwood*. Democrats: Katy Bunder, Ben Carson and Amanda Eldridge. Libertarians: Dean Bertelli, Holly Mayoras and Randy Young

• Coroner: Carrie Costello*, R; Benjamin Milanowski, Libertarian

• Treasurer: Yadira Salazar*, R

• Surveyor: Zach Beasley*, R

• Judge, Circuit Court: Sean Persin*, R

• Judge, Superior Court 6: Michael Morrissey*, R

Statehouse races

• House District 13: Matthew Commons, R; Ed Moyer Jr., D

• House District 26: Chris Campbell*, D; Jim Schenke, R

• House District 27: Sheila Klinker*, D; Oscar Alvarez, R

• House District 38: Heath VanNatter*, R; Carl Seese, D

• House District 41: Mark Genda*, R; Dan Sikes, D

Statewide

• Governor:  Mike Braun, R; Jennifer McCormick, D; Donald Rainwater, Libertarian

• Attorney General: Todd Rokita, R; Destiny Wells, D

Federal

• President: Kamala Harris, D; Donald Trump, R; Chase Oliver, Libertarian; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., We the People

• U.S. House, District 4: Jim Baird*, R; Ashley Groff, Libertarian; Derrick Holder, D

• U.S. Senate: Jim Banks, R; Valerie McCray, D; Andrew Horning, Libertarian

Townships

• Shadeland Township Board: Michael Kuipers, Pamela Luenz, Robert Morrison Jr. and Josh Shives, R

• Shadeland Clerk-Treasurer: Charlene Brown, R

School boards

Lafayette School Corp., at-large (choose 3): Ebony Barrett*, Josiah Eller, Margaret Hass, James Hass, Ronald “Rocky” Hession, Gary Mueller and Julie Peretin*.

Tippecanoe School Corp.

• District 4: Jake Burton*

• District 5: Julia Cummings*

• District 6: Connie Harper

• District 7: Brad Anderson*

West Lafayette Community School Corp., at-large (choose 4): Amy Austin*, Maria Koliantz, George Lyle, David Purpura, Beau Scott and Yue Yin*.

Public questions

• Shall the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to remove the state superintendent of public instruction from the list of officeholders who shall discharge the powers and duties of the governor if the office of the governor and lieutenant governor are both vacant?

• Shall Indiana Supreme Court Justice Mark S. Massa be retained in office?

• Shall Indiana Supreme Court Justice Derek Read Molter be retained in office?

• Shall Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta Rush be retained in office?

• Shall Indiana Appeals Court Judge Rudolph Reginald Pyle III be retained in office?

CANDIDATE Q&AS

Based in Lafayette asked a series of questions and gathered bios of candidates in contested races that will be on Tippecanoe County ballots.

U.S. House, 4^th District

U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, seeking a fourth term in Congress, will face Democrat Derrick Holder and Libertarian Ashely Groff on the November ballot  in Indiana’s 4^th District. The 4th District takes in much of west-central Indiana, including Tippecanoe and surrounding counties.

Indiana House, District 13

Matt Commons, a high school teacher who beat state Rep. Sharon Negele in the May Republican primary, faces Edward Moyer Jr., an educator and Democrat from Hillsboro, for the Indiana House District 13 seat in the Nov. 5 general election. The district includes a large part of southern and northern Tippecanoe County, along with all of Benton and Warren counties, and portions of Fountain, Jasper, Montgomery, Newton and White counties.

Indiana House, District 26

State Rep. Chris Campbell, a West Lafayette Democrat, is looking for her fourth two-year terms in Indiana House District 26, challenged by West Lafayette Republican Jim Schenke in the November general election. House District 26 covers West Lafayette and a section west of the city to the Tippecanoe County line.

Indiana House, District 27

Sheila Klinker, a Lafayette Democrat first elected to the Indiana House in 1982, faces Republican Oscar Alvarez for the Indiana House seat in District 27. The district includes the eastern part of Tippecanoe County, including Lafayette.

Indiana House, District 41

State Rep. Mark Genda, a Republican from Frankfort first elected to the General Assembly in 2022, faces Democrat Dan Sikes on the Nov. 5 ballot in Indiana House District 41. The district includes a large part of southeastern Tippecanoe County, along with parts of Clinton and Boone counties.

Tippecanoe County commissioner, District 2

Republican David Byers, a dairy farmer running for a fifth term as Tippecanoe County commissioner, faces a challenge from Libertarian Steve Mayoras in the Nov. 5 general election. The seat represents District 2, which covers much of the western portion of Tippecanoe County. County commissioners oversee county policies and the day-to-day operations of county government. The candidates appear on ballots across Tippecanoe County, not just District 2.

Tippecanoe County commissioner, District 3

Republican Tom Murtaugh faces a challenge from Libertarian Jaime Ortiz in the Nov. 5 general election for a Tippecanoe County commissioner seat he first won in 2008. The seat represents District 3, which covers eastern, central and southern portions of Tippecanoe County. County commissioners oversee county policies and the day-to-day operations of county government. The candidates appear on ballots across Tippecanoe County, not just District 3.

Tippecanoe County Council, three at-large seats

Nine candidates, including three incumbents, are on the Nov. 5 ballot for three seats on the Tippecanoe County Council. The ballot for the at-large seats includes:

• Republican incumbents: John Basham, Barry Richard and Kevin Underwood.

• Democrats: Katy Bunder, Ben Carson and Amanda Eldridge.

• Libertarians: Dean Bertelli, Holly Mayoras and Randy Young.

The seven-member county council oversees the county’s budget and other fiscal matters.

Tippecanoe County coroner

Coroner Carrie Costello is being challenged by in the 2024 election by Benji Milanowski, a Libertarian who ran for Lafayette mayor in 2023.

Lafayette School Board, three at-large seats

Seven candidates, including two incumbents, are on the ballot for three seats on the Lafayette School Corp. school board. Ebony Barrett and Julie Peretin, board members appointed to seats during the past four years, will face Josiah Eller, Jim Hass, Margaret Hass, Rocky Hession and Gary Mueller in the Nov. 5 general election. (LSC school board member Dave Moulton is not running for re-election.) The candidates are running for at-large seats, meaning they will appear on ballots across LSC. Candidates run for the seven-member school board without party label.

West Lafayette school board, four at-large seats

Six candidates will be on the Nov. 5 ballot, running for four at-large seats on the West Lafayette school board. Here, the six – incumbents Amy Austin and Yue Yin, along with Maria Koliantz, George Lyle, David Purpura and Beau Scott – answer questions about their approaches to serving on the seven-member school board.

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