Early voting set to begin next week

After the coronavirus pandemic delayed the primary to June and limited the length of time early voting was available, things will be back to normal for the general election, with four weeks of early voting available leading up to the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election.

Additionally, all eight Putnam County vote centers will be open on Election Day.

The Putnam County Absentee Voter Board will be available for early voting from Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Monday, Nov. 2. Any Putnam County resident qualified to vote in the general election may do so from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on any weekday on the second floor of the Courthouse.

The Courthouse will also be open for early voting from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 31.

The start of early voting comes just one day after the deadline to register to vote, which is Monday, Oct. 5.

Any person requiring an absentee ballot to mailed to them in the county, out of county or out of state must complete an application for an absentee ballot. The form is available at the Voter Registration Office or may be downloaded from the Indiana Election Division website at www.in.gov/sos/elections/. This form must be filed before the ballot can be mailed.

The deadline to receive the application for a mail-in absentee ballot is Thursday, Oct. 22 by midnight.

For those individuals confined to their home due to illness, injury or a handicap, a request may be made that the ballot be mailed to them or be brought to their home by a traveling board.

To request an absentee ballot application, contact Voter Registration at 655-1538.

On Election Day, all eight Putnam County vote centers will be open. These include the Putnam County Courthouse, Reelsville Fire Department, Floyd Township Fire Department, Greencastle American Legion, Cloverdale American Legion, Bainbridge Community Building, Putnam County Fairgrounds Community Building and Wellspring Christian Church.

The polls will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.

A voter must provide a government-issued photo ID before casting an absentee ballot in person at the Clerk’s Office or voting in person at the polls on Election Day.

The ID must display the voter’s photo. The name on the ID must conform to the voter registration record, though conform does not mean identical. The ID must contain an expiration date and either still be current or have expired sometime after Nov. 6, 2018, the last general election. The ID must be issued by the State of Indiana or the U.S. government.

A voter wishing to vote by mail or traveling board does not have to comply with the photo ID law.