Indiana sets early voting record; county trails 2008 pace

State election officials say Indiana has set an early voting record, surpassing the number cast eight years ago.

The Secretary of State's office says that through Sunday county clerks had received nearly 711,337 absentee ballots cast in person and through other methods for Tuesday's election.

That's nearly 49,000 ballots more than Indiana's previous early voting record set in the 2008 general election.

Indiana's early voting deadline is Monday. Voters were required to be in line by noon to cast early ballots.

In Marion County, early voting through Sunday was ahead of of the pace of 2012, but behind the pace of 2008.

The county reported 45,232 in-person early votes through Sunday, compared with 37,824 in 2012 and 71,856 in 2008.

County voters had returned 17,765 absentee-mail ballots through Sunday, compared with 16,835 in 2012 and 15,569 in 2008.

Indiana Election Division co-director Angie Nussmeyer said the large number of early voters could relieve the pressure on Indiana's polling places Tuesday.

But she expects "a late night" Tuesday receiving vote totals from all 92 Indiana counties because of the expected strong voter turnout for the election.