How did Wayne County voters vote in the 2024 general election?

RICHMOND, Ind. — Of the more than 45,000 registered voters in Wayne County, approximately 25,779 ballots were cast in this year’s general election, with 13 of 14 polling places reporting as of 10:30 Tuesday night.

Republicans won every race in which they were represented, with the majority of races uncontested by Democrats.

10,091 of the direct party votes were given to the Republican Party and 4,190 to the Democratic Party. The Libertarian Party and We the People Party received 74 and 174 votes respectively.

In the US presidential race, Donald Trump received 16,741 votes, or 65% of the state, against Vice President Kamala Harris’ 8,389 votes.

Three voters who went to the polls on Tuesday and voted for Trump (Joe, Connie and Elizabeth), who did not want to give their last names, gave various reasons why they voted for Trump.

“Because the country needs change,” Joe said. “I’ve never voted before, but it had to happen.”

“It gave me the feeling that there was some hope left because I don’t really feel like it,” Connie said. “The world is getting worse and worse and everyone wants hope. I hope he does what he says.”

Elizabeth, a 37-year-old nurse, said she definitely votes Republican, in part because of her family’s military history.

“I grew up with a Marine Corps father and saw what can happen when others are on duty,” he said. “I’ve been in the field for 16 years and I’ve seen my opponents do a lot of damage, so I’m ready for changes.”

Harris voters like Joy Arnett’s motives were based on fear for others.

“I’m really afraid of another Trump term,” he said. “I’m scared for my daughters and my whole family. There are a lot of us girls, and I’m scared for the women too.”

Arnett stated that he started voting in 2016 thanks to Trump, adding that he had never been interested in politics until Trump came on the scene.

“I think we’re on the edge of a cliff,” he said. “We are in a very historical place in this country, and I want to be on the right side of history.”

Jimmy Freiberger, Arnett’s son and Earlham College student who recently presented at the 25th World Congress of Philosophy.also voted for Harris.

“I’m not a big fan of Donald Trump, and there are a few reasons for that,” he said. “I think he’s xenophobic, and he’s been pretty open about it, especially after the pets incident in Springfield. To me, that’s actually almost more dangerous than politics, because it breeds hatred.”

Freiberger noted that a point of contention for him for both Trump and Harris was international politics, particularly Gaza, adding that he thought Trump would do worse than Harris.

“Kamala is someone who can push and push in a certain direction that I thought was impossible.”

Another Harris voter, Jamie Perez, who voted with Freiberger and Arnett, compared the Republican party to Nazism.

“It’s very interesting to me to see that what was once considered political poison…political suicide comparing Republicans to Hitler and fascism, to the Nazi Party, is becoming normalized, and I believe it’s because they’re finally allowing the mask to ‘slip,'” Perez said. “It’s always been with the rhetoric they’ve adopted.” That’s what they were thinking.”

Regardless of voter differences, every voter interviewed agreed on how smooth the voting process was at First English Lutheran Church and First Kuhlman Center.

“It was beautiful,” Evan Puterbaugh said. “I voted a second time and it was easy and simple. I don’t want to say I’m happy because we have to do this, but it wasn’t like pulling teeth or anything.”

Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith won the county’s governor and lieutenant governor votes with 15,167 votes, or 60%, over Democratic challengers Jennifer McCormick and Terry Goodin, who received 8,877 votes.

In the U.S. Senate and U.S. House races, Jim Banks and Jefferson Shreve won 64% of Wayne County’s vote, defeating Democrats Valerie McCray and Cynthia Wirth in their respective races.

When it came to the public question about amending the state constitution to remove the state superintendent of public instruction from the governor’s line of succession, a majority of Wayne County voters decided not to do so, with 10,642 against and 9,434 in favor.

As of 10:41 a.m. Wednesday, statewide voting was too early to call the night’s end; The percentage of voters was 85.4%, with 53.7% voting in favor and 46.3% voting against.

Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him at X (@evan_weaver7) or email: [email protected].

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