INDIANAPOLIS — Yvette Fancher is a ball of energy, and she takes her job as a poll worker very seriously.
However, she is bringing some joy to polls this year by celebrating first-time voters.
As voters are in line, Fancher asks if there are any first-time voters. If they say yes, she lets the other poll workers know. They cheer and clap to celebrate the milestone.
"I just enjoy seeing all these different kinds of people come in and are ecstatic for first-time voters,” Fancher said. “We have to celebrate that, it's something special.”
Two of the first-time voters who were celebrated were Jakye and Kaniya Bowers. They are recent graduates who came to vote with their mom. Each says the experience was special.
"My mom was telling me every vote counts,” Jakye Bowers, a 22-year-old first-time voter, said. “I didn't think of it like that, but I guess every vote does count. So, my mom had us wake up this morning to put my vote in so I can be heard.”
"It means a lot because this is my first time being able to vote for any election,” Kaniya Bowers, a 19-year-old first-time voter, said. “Previously, I was not allowed to so it means a lot knowing I can vote this year."
Seniors also are celebrated.
Robert Schilling is 91-years-old. He says he has voted in every election he has been able to, and this celebration brought a smile to his face.
"Well, it felt good to be acknowledged,” Schilling said. “I am proud that I am able and grateful that I can be here at age 91."
Those smiles are what it’s all about.
"They deserve to get a little royal treatment,” Fancher said.
The Marion County Clerk's Office says early voting numbers are slightly higher this year compared to early voting in the 2020 election.
