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State Hasn't Yet Created Online Vote-By-Mail Application Process

The biggest change to Indiana's primary – shifted back to June 2 – is opening up vote-by-mail to any Hoosier who wants to cast a ballot that way.
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The biggest change to Indiana's primary – shifted back to June 2 – is opening up vote-by-mail to any Hoosier who wants to cast a ballot that way.

Updated April 7 at 10:11 a.m.

Monday was supposed to be the voter registration deadline for Indiana’s primary election. But COVID-19 changed all that.

The governor and the state election commission officially moved Indiana’s primary back to June 2. With that shift came changes in deadlines: for instance, Hoosiers now have until Monday, May 4 to register to vote, which they can do online.

The biggest change was opening up vote-by-mail to any Hoosier who wants to cast a ballot that way. But voters still have to request those ballots, which they can only do by mail. The applications are available online, but must be mailed to the voters’ county election administrator – though some counties allow a fax or email option.

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When it moved the primary, the election commission recommended the state set up an online vote-by-mail application that wouldn’t require anything to be mailed in. The Secretary of State’s office says that system is still in development, with no estimated date for completion.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said applications must be mailed to the voters’ county election administrator. That was incorrect. Some counties allow a fax or email option.

Contact Brandon at  bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  or the  Indiana State Department of Health  for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state.
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