With protests continuing Monday, Marion County will enforce a curfew this evening that will end at 4 a.m., two hours before the polls open. The clerk’s office says officials aren’t planning any modifications on Election Day.

In a news conference Monday, Gov. Eric Holcomb indicated that police would be ready on Election Day if necessary.

It’s a good bet more than half of you will have cast your ballots by the time the polls open because of the expansion of absentee voting amid coronavirus concerns. Many of you who do venture out Tuesday will find fewer polling places, workers wearing protective gear and lines stretching out longer than they look due to social distancing.

There’s also the potential for protests, though those generally have started and stayed downtown.

There’s cause to worry some of those absentee ballots will arrive too late to be counted. With an increasing number of Marion County voters complaining their ballots arrived late this week or haven’t come at all, Clerk Myla Eldridge sent a letter Thursday to the secretary of state urging the Indiana Election Commission to extend the deadline to receive ballots back by mail.

She says it’s clear thousands of voters will be disenfranchised, but at this point, the deadline remains noon Tuesday. In an evolving public spat, Secretary of State Connie Lawson blamed Marion County for a lack of preparation and said she won’t change deadlines for one county.

While some of those voters who planned to vote absentee might now vote in person, no one is expecting record-shattering turnout because the top-of-the-ticket races are uncontested.

President Donald Trump and Joe Biden wrapped up their nominations months ago. Gov. Holcomb is running unopposed for a second term, and Dr. Woody Myers’ potential Democratic opponents dropped out long ago.

The top races for some Hoosiers will be for Congress — especially in the districts of the retiring Susan Brooks and Pete Visclosky. For others, the most interesting names on the ballot will be for the county office.

• Here’s what you need to know to vote.
• Here’s how the election might go and what to watch.

Dr. Woody Myers addresses the protests

Myers, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, released a statement Saturday to support the peaceful protests.

“Last night, Hoosiers across the state practiced their 1st Amendment rights in protesting the tragic and brutal death of George Floyd,” Myers said. “The numbers don’t lie; the black community has been disproportionately affected by this brutality, both here in Indiana and across the United States. Law enforcement officers took an oath to serve and protect, and their violence against Black Americans is not only wrong but criminal.

“The actions that perpetuated these events have exposed the racial inequities in our society, and require us to confront these injustices honestly and openly. While the initial protests were peaceful, the opportunistic looting that followed does little to further the righteous cause intended by the original protesters and activists. Our nation needs to progress into a more equitable tomorrow. I join the world in its outrage and anger at the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Dreasjon Reed.

“We cannot accept that injustice remains the status quo in 2020 – the fight to provide better future land upon all of our shoulders to find a path together to justice.”

Trump calls governors ‘weak’ on a conference call

Holcomb took part in a conference call with President Trump and the nation’s governors today, with Trump reportedly calling them “weak” for their response to protests and riots in cities across the country.

He also told them to arrest those who act violently and destroy property.

“You have to dominate,” Trump said, USA Today reported, citing audio of the meeting obtained by CBS News. “If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you.You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate.”

Asked about the call at a press briefing, Holcomb didn’t address the president’s tone or allegations that governors are weak. He said the president didn’t want governors to “get caught watching the paint dry.”

• Here’s what else Holcomb had to say about the protests.

Christina Hale enters election week with ‘incredible advantage’

Weeks before voters were poised to choose a Democratic nominee in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, candidate Christina Hale showed signs that she was focusing on the general election, not just the primary.

Hale, a former state lawmaker, aired her first TV ad in the middle of May, criticizing “partisan bickering,” boasting about the passage of bills in the Statehouse with “bipartisan support” and emphasizing her support for lowering health care costs, a vague policy proposal that has appeal on either side of the aisle.

Hale could be difficult to beat in the primary. She already had raised at least 16 times the amount of money that her fellow Democratic opponents had by the middle of May and has the backing of party insiders. Plus, because the coronavirus ruined candidates’ chances to campaign door-to-door and shifted voters’ attention off the election, pricey ad buys — the kind that Hale can afford— became all that much more important.

Also running are scientist Jennifer Christie; Andy Jacobs, the son of former Indiana congressman with the same name; Ralph Spelbring, a former 6th Congressional District candidate; and Dee Thornton, a Carmel corporate consultant.

Republicans try to stand out in crowded Indiana 5th District race

From the onset, Indiana’s 5th Congressional District Republican primary race promised to be unique.

The Republican Party has a deep bench in the district, so after U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks announced her retirement last year, plenty of candidates were ready to jump in.

A total of 15 Republicans filed to run — the largest number in any of the 2020 Indiana Congressional district primaries. With a large field and no clear early front-runner, candidates struggled to break through the noise and raise large sums of money.

It’s anyone’s guess who will win, but IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange breaks it down for you.

• Here’s a roundup of all of the Congressional races.

Open seats in the Indiana General Assembly add intrigue to the primary vote

Several seats in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly have come open this year because of incumbents retiring or not seeking re-election to pursue other offices, which is adding some intrigue to the primary election Tuesday.

All 100 Indiana House of Representative seats and half of the 50 seats in the Indiana Senate are up for election in November. But voters will select most of the Democratic and Republican nominees in next week’s primaries. They were rescheduled from May 5 to Tuesday because of the coronavirus.

Here is a closer look at three state races to watch.

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Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing chris.sikich@indystar.com.