With just a month before the Nov. 5 election, early voting started Tuesday in Indiana, and plenty of people took part.
In Elkhart, the early bird voters lined up at the County Health Department on Oakland Avenue. Voter Mike Defreese said he was eager to cast his vote for Republican Donald Trump.
Defreese said he hasn’t voted early much in the past but he’s decided to change that.
"In my opinion, the more Republicans that can get out early, the better, because if storms happen, hurricanes happen, whatever may happen, and you're not able to get out on Voting Day, you're better off just going ahead and getting your vote out early," Defreese said.
Charles and Nadine Reed said they’ve been voting early more since they retired.
"Beat the crowds, and get it over with," Nadine said with a chuckle.
"We know we did our part," Charles said.
They didn’t mind standing in line for an hour to vote, and Nadine said she wasn’t surprised.
"I figure everybody is coming out for this vote, and that's what I want to see," she said.
Holly Curran came to vote early but the long line scared her off. But Curran said she’ll come back as soon as possible to try again.
She's ready for this election to be over with.
"It's so bitter," Curran said. "It's so sad, that we can't get along and you're afraid to talk about things because you just don't know who you're going to offend or how they're going to react."
St. Joseph and Elkhart counties have posted their early voting locations and times.
