Hamilton County voter turnout: record-breaking or run-of-the-mill? Yes.

By SCOTT SANDER
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Depending on which number catches the eye, Hamilton County either smashed a voter turnout record or fell well short in this year’s election.

According to the count from county election officials, the record-setting number comes from the raw total: 199,679 people cast a ballot in Hamilton County Tuesday. That’s almost 5,000 more than in any other election, topping even the 195,652 following the hotly-contested races of 2020.

That’s only part of the story, though.

Viewed in terms of percentages, this was not even a “Top 3” election. Hamilton County’s population has soared in recent years, adding thousands more registered voters to the rolls in the four years between each presidential election. Voter turnout has not kept the same pace, leading to lower percentages.

The county reports 70.51 percent of registered voters cast a ballot this year. That trails 2004 (84.2 percent), 2008 (74.5 percent), and 2020 (74.4 percent).

The percentage drop still puts Hamilton County far ahead of most every other county in the state. It consistently outperforms the rest of Indiana when it comes to turnout. By the calculations of the Indiana Secretary of State’s office, Hamilton topped the state by 10 percent in 2012 and 2016, and 9 percent in 2020.

Voters in Wells, Whitley and Adams counties have also consistently turned out the vote, matching Hamilton’s overperformance by similar margins in those election years.

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/election/hamilton-county-voter-turnout-2024.