Vote in the GOP primary, centrists’ billboards urge
Billboards are popping up in three of Indiana’s most populous counties, urging Hoosiers to vote in the Republican primary this spring – even if they’re Democrats.
Motorists are seeing that message now:
In Evansville, on North Green River Road just north of State Road 66 and across from Eastland Mall. East side of Green River Road on the south corner, facing south;
In Merrillville, on Broadway just north of the intersection with U.S. 30. West side of Broadway on the south corner, facing south (shown in accompanying photo); and
Also in Merrillville, on U.S. 30 just east of I-65. South side of U.S. 30 on the south corner, facing west.
The message goes up next week:
In Indianapolis, on I-465 just west of the White River bridge, between North Keystone Avenue and Allisonville Road. South side of I-465, facing east.
The billboards are the work of the political action committee of ReCenter Indiana. The nonprofit, bipartisan group was established in 2022 to help nudge the state’s politics back toward the middle, where most Hoosiers are.
In addition, social media users leaning toward any political party – or no party – will be seeing video ads from the ReCenter Indiana PAC on Instagram and Facebook.
It’s all to advise Hoosiers that, unlike some other states, Indiana’s primary elections are “open.” This means that registered voters may simply request a Republican ballot when they prepare to vote this spring.
The reasons for voting in the Republican primary, especially in the race for governor, are simple and pragmatic, says Don Knebel of Carmel, president of ReCenter Indiana Inc.:
For nearly a generation, every Indiana governor has been a Republican.
Because of that, one of the six candidates on the Republican primary ballot is all but certain to be Indiana’s next governor. (Only one candidate for governor is on the Democratic primary ballot, so her place on the November ballot is already assured.)
In recent years, only the most committed partisans have been voting in Indiana primaries, and they tend to favor the most extreme candidates.
The last year when the governorship was on the ballot was 2020. Then, only 24 percent of registered voters got around to voting in the primary. Turnout improved to 65 percent in the general election in November 2020. But by then, there was only one candidate per party to choose from, the retired intellectual property attorney says.
“Of course we should all vote in November,” Knebel says. “But the May primary is the election that determines which Republican will be on the ballot in the fall. Judging from our state’s recent history, whoever that is will likely be our next governor.”
As Knebel points out, it is ethical for voters to support the Republican candidate who most closely represents their values. And, he adds, it’s nobody’s business whom you have voted for or whom you plan to vote for.
“Everyone’s vote is secret. The law says so,” Knebel explains. “So ReCenter Indiana believes it would be inappropriate for a primary voter to be questioned about how he or she has voted in the past or may choose to vote in the future.”
In the last general election, in 2022, only 42 percent of Indiana’s voting-age population cast ballots. In that year, turnout here ranked just one rung from the bottom – 50th among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Knebel notes.
One factor that may discourage Hoosiers from voting is a general frustration, says Azher Khan, a ReCenter Indiana PAC board member who considers himself a Republican.
“Many of us don’t see our values shared by the officials who purport to represent us,” Khan explains. “That’s often because those officials can coast to victory once they’ve been nominated in the primary.”
“At all levels of government,” ReCenter PAC board member Linda Heitzman, a Democrat, adds, “most of us Hoosiers expect our public officials to work together for the common good. But some officials don’t need to – and may feel compelled not to – if their only real challenge is appealing to a narrow base of partisans in the primary.”
The ReCenter PAC is completing an initial fundraising campaign of $50,000 to help spread the word. Citizens are invited to learn more at https://www.recenterindiana.org/
At that same web address, Hoosiers can read up not only on the GOP gubernatorial candidates but also the candidates in a handful of contested primary races for the Indiana legislature.
Early voting begins today. This year’s Indiana primary is May 7.
