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Unreturned Mail-In Ballots Likely Won't Arrive On Time If Mailed Now

More than 560,000 Hoosiers requested mail-in ballots for the November election, a record for Indiana.
Lauren Chapman/IPB News
More than 560,000 Hoosiers requested mail-in ballots for the November election, a record for Indiana.

About 100,000 vote-by-mail ballots still haven’t been returned to county election administrators with just days to go before they’re due.

More than 560,000 Hoosiers requested mail-in ballots for the November election – a record for Indiana. And more than 460,000 of those ballots were returned.

But if you’re still holding on to it, putting that ballot in the mail isn’t a good idea. Even the U.S. Post Office said it’s unlikely it will get to your county election administrator by noon on Election Day – the deadline for a mail-in ballot to be counted.

READ MORE: Can I Vote By Mail? Here's What You Need To Know For Indiana's Elections

But you can return your ballot another way. Indiana law says you or a member of your household can return that mail-in ballot, in-person, to your county election administrator’s office.

And there’s another option – on Election Day, you can bring your mail-in ballot to your polling place, have it invalidated, and cast a new ballot in person.

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

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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