By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington voters are getting more than just a sense of pride in casting their ballots on Election Day.

Gayla Jackson of Bloomington was pleasantly surprised when she cast her ballot.

“I was actually pleased this time I actually got my ‘I voted’ sticker,” Jackson said. “The last time I voted, we didn’t have those.”

The Bloomington Election Commission had cut back on the ‘I voted’ stickers during the last election cycle and election judge Claudine Moss says they heard about it.

“There were a lot of people who said ‘where’s my sticker?,” Moss said, “Sometimes it was the kids who wanted them. You can give your sticker away, but there were none to be given.”

George Ellis of Bloomington said while he was less enthusiastic about this election, he wasn’t going to miss it.

“A lot of people say this, if you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain,” Ellis said. “I make a point of voting.”

Moss said she expects turnout to be about 65 percent.

Bloomington election officials say one voting tabulation machine at St. John’s Lutheran Church has to be replaced. An auxiliary bin where ballots were being placed had become full. A BEC representative went to the location with the help of election judges to run all of the ballots through the tabulator.

The polls will remain open until 7 p.m.

WJBC will have live election coverage after the polls close.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].