An old supermarket on Indianapolis' east side serves a new purpose, housing what is now the Marion County Election Board Service Center.
Inside, you'll find what is dubbed the "Thunderdome."
Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell says the secure, caged area inside the facility plays a key role in the election process here.
Around the "Thunderdome," nearly 200 workers follow a checklist of tasks to keep the election safe and secure, checking, among other things, ballot applications and making sure voter signatures match on applications versus signatures on file.
Sweeney Bell points out there are many bipartisan checks and balances in place to ensure every valid vote is counted.
"Anyone who thinks there might be some, I call it, moogie foogie, goin on, there's not," Sweeney Bell said.
Teams made up of Republicans and Democrats test every machine to ensure the screens and printers work.
They try to identify and mitigate any technological issues ahead of time.
In Marion County alone, more than 650,000 voters are registered.
A fraction of them, like Tara Sprunger and her son, Sam, who is home on fall break, are taking advantage of the early voting window.
"I feel voting in person is more reliable than mailing in," Sam Sprunger said, "You never know where it actually goes."
It turns out Sam's early voting ballot — along with the incoming mail-in ballots and all the other early voting ballots — wind up in the "Thunderdome" until election day.
According to Indiana state law, no ballots can be counted until then.
As soon as the polls open on election day, the clerks at the Election Board Service Center can then begin counting the ballots stored in the "Thunderdome."
Around-the-clock, sworn law enforcement officers guard the facility and the "Thunderdome" cage. Surveillance cameras keep watch too.
"We have safeguards in place," Sweeney Bell said, "We've got separate sets of keys for political parties and our ballot cage will not open without both of them."
Standing in line outside the Indianapolis City-County Building to cast his ballot early, Jerell Blakeley puts his faith in Indiana's election process.
"I think our voting system is secure," Blakely said, "I think our voter system is fair, and there's integrity to it.
More than 2,000 clerks and 250 inspectors are hired in Marion County for the tabulation process on election day.
It's an example of civil servants with various political leanings working side-by-side to do their civic duty.
"I know people of different political parties, who work together to make sure that elections — not just here in Marion county, across the country — are run effectively, safely, securely, and accurately," Sweeney Bell said.
As a voter, if you have an issue or experience a problem when you vote, you do have rights.
Click here to access the Indiana Voters Bill of Rights.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th.
WATCH | Marion County Election Board performs tests on voting equipment
