Local and State Elections

Since the media is overflowing with information from the presidential election, the state and local elections can get lost in the chaos. In Indiana, voters decided the Governor, the State Senate, and the State House. There were also local representatives elected in the 2020 election including the School Board and the County Council.

The candidates running for the Governor position were Eric Holcomb, Woody Myers, and Donald Rainwater. Donald Rainwater received approximately 11.4% of the votes and was the candidate for the Libertarian party. He has not yet been in a political office, but has worked with software and technology. Running for the Democratic party, Woody Myers received 32% of the votes. He is a medical professional and has worked as the state health commissioner for Governor Evan Bayh and Governor Bob Orr. Lastly, the candidate who received the most votes is Eric Holcomb, who was previously Lieutenant governor of Indiana and became the Governor in 2017.

“Together we’ll continue building the momentum we’ve built over the past four years and take Indiana to even new heights,” tweeted Governor Eric Holcomb after his re-election was announced.

Holcomb was the Governor throughout the COVID-19 outbreaks and is the official that will decide when and if the state needs to go into lockdown again as the case numbers surge upwards. His platform displays his actions towards the pandemic and aims to unite Indiana and “Building One Indiana for All.” 

According to The Register Guard, the State Senate candidates were Theresa Bruno and Michael Crider for District 28 which includes Hancock county, Marion county, and Shelby county. Bruno ran for the Democratic party and received 34.4% of the votes overall. Crider, the winner of the election, received 62.6% of the votes overall. Split between counties, Crider received more votes in Shelby and Hancock county while Bruno had more in Marion county.

All of the Mt. Vernon schools lie in the sixth congressional district which is used to determine the State House. In the sixth congressional district, the election was won by the Republican Party candidate, Greg Pence, who received 68.7% of the votes. The democratic candidate was Jeannine Lake,who received 27.7% of the votes. Finally, Tom Ferkinhoff ran for the Libertarian party, and was able to gather 3.6% of the votes.

The County Council needed three people elected to fill spots in Hancock County this year. Only three candidates were on the ballot on the election day, so they all are now on the County Council. Those three people are Keely Butrum, Kent Fisk, and Robin D. Lowder. Additionally, they are all republicans.

In the School Board election, there were five candidates on the ballot, but only three spots to fill. Tony May, Charles A. Gray, and Phil Edwards were the three with the most votes and were elected. They will serve for the Mt. Vernon School Board and make policies while overseeing the entire school district.

Although the president has power over the whole country, there are governors, senators, council members, and house members that control the decisions of the state or the county. That is why it is important to be informed on all candidates on the ballots so that the people have the most influence that they can in their community. Especially in local elections, every vote matters. For example, in the School Board election Charles A. Gray was elected over the runner-up by a mere 730 votes according to the IndyStar. With a margin that small, the decision can be easily swayed so it is important people vote for their beliefs so they can truly be represented and impact the elections.