INDIANAPOLIS — County election officials must receive applications for a mail-in ballot no later than Thursday at 11:59 p.m.
”Get it in as soon as possible,” said Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell. ”If we get that by the deadline, but we can’t process it, we will reach out to the voter and make sure that they know what their options are if we have a way to contact them.”
Whether voters choose to apply in person at their county election board’s office, via email, or online, registered voters will need to provide their driver’s license number, voter ID number, or the last four digits of their social security when applying.
“We encourage people to provide both their Indiana ID and the last four digits of their social security number,” said Bell. ”If they used one of those numbers to register to vote, but they apply for the absentee [ballot] with the other number, it won’t match what is in the system.”
According to Bell, eligible Hoosiers include those who are over 65, disabled, or confined due to illness or injury. Voters may also qualify if they will be out of town, are taking care of someone who’s disabled, or can show they will be working from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Election Day.
“The most common reason we see is any voter who is 65 or older,” said Bell.
”There are 12 different reasons,” said Julia Vaughn, the executive director of Common Cause Indiana. “You can go to your county’s website or the state’s website: indianavoters.in.gov, to check and see if you would be eligible.”
Election officials urge voters not to delay returning their ballot if they are deemed eligible.
”The post office tells us, ‘Give it at least a week’,” said Bell. ”We know that there are at least 15,000 plus ballots that are going to be mailed back to us within the next 13 days, so don’t delay.”
If voters qualify for a mail-in ballot and apply by the deadline, they can also ask a family member or resident of their home to deliver their ballot for them, but be advised they’ll have to sign an affidavit.
“It’s a form; don’t lie on it, because under penalties of perjury, just don’t lie, don’t lie in general,” said Bell.
Whether voters choose to mail in their ballot, hand-deliver it, or have a family member deliver it, county election officials must receive the ballot no later than 6 p.m. on Election Day.
