People wait in line in the hallway of Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw in the early afternoon on Tuesday, May 7, to vote.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander and Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Vote centers in Kosciusko County have seen a good turnout for the 2024 primary election.

Election Inspector Lynn Howie said a little more than 400 people had voted at the Christ’s Covenant Church center in Winona Lake as of a little after 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 7.

“We have been busy pretty much all day except for the first two hours we were just hit and miss and since then we have been very steadily busy,” she said. “We have 10 machines, and we have had many times when all 10 machines are in use.”

“We’ve only had people waiting maybe five or six times, and it’s only been three or four people waiting, so it’s not horrible,” she added.

Howie added the Christ’s Covenant site had four poll pads to sign people in, which also cut down on the wait time.

She said the busy time so far had been 8-10 a.m.

After a rainstorm, it picked up again, she said.

“It’s great. People have been so kind, so polite and even though they’ve had to wait, they have been very patient,” Howie added.

Over at another one of Kosciusko County’s 21 vote centers, Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw, there had been more than 300 voters as of almost 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“We feel (the turnout) has been good, and it’s usually not that full,” said Election Inspector Marta Dunwell-Klotz.

She said 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. had been a busy time.

Dunwell-Klotz added people seemed to like the vote center method in the second election year it had been utilized in the county.

At Etna Green’s Heritage Park vote center, poll workers reported having around 75 to 85 voters come to the center by 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. Etna Green Clerk-Treasurer Patti Cook, who’s worked as an election inspector for 10 years, said the primary election turnout for 2024 has been better than previous years.

Poll worker Linda Lent said the Moose Family Center Lodge vote center on Lake Street in Warsaw had seen around 200 voters by Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s been steady,” said Lent. “We’ve had a couple pushes, we’ve had it where all the machines are full and people are waiting, and we’ve had some lulls, but it’s been pretty steady.”