October 29, 2024

Indiana mail-in ballots must be returned by 6 p.m. on Election Day

Listen at IPB News

Article origination IPB News
Indiana absentee, mail-in ballots must be returned to county election administrators by 6 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots postmarked before then, but not received by then, do not count.  - FILE PHOTO: Justin Hicks / IPB News

Indiana absentee, mail-in ballots must be returned to county election administrators by 6 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots postmarked before then, but not received by then, do not count.

FILE PHOTO: Justin Hicks / IPB News

Indiana voters who are casting mail-in ballots this fall must get those ballots back to their county election administrator by 6 p.m. on Election Day.

U.S. Postal Service leaders are recommending voters get their absentee ballots in the mail at least one week ahead of their state’s deadline — for Indiana, that means Tuesday, Oct. 29.

That’s because Indiana does not count ballots received after 6 p.m. on Election Day, no matter when you put it in the mail or when it was postmarked.

READ MORE: These are the most common mistakes election boards see on mail-in ballot applications, at the polls
 

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues and the election, including our project Civically, Indiana.
 

But you don’t have to return your absentee ballot by mail. You or a family member can bring the sealed, signed voting envelope with ballot inside to an early voting location in your county or to your county election administrator’s office.

Under Indiana law, family members allowed to mail back or return a voter’s absentee ballot are a:

  • spouse
  • parent
  • father-in-law
  • mother-in-law
  • child
  • son-in-law
  • daughter-in-law
  • grandparent
  • grandchild
  • brother
  • sister
  • brother-in-law
  • sister-in-law
  • uncle
  • aunt
  • nephew
  • or niece
     

 

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

 

Related News

Indiana reimplements waitlists for two child care voucher programs for first time since 2018
Court stops Indiana law giving utilities dibs on interstate power lines, may affect Hoosiers' bills
Governor-elect Braun adds Jennifer-Ruth Green, Suzanne Jaworowski to cabinet