Early voting begins Oct. 11 for municipal elections

With municipal elections set across the county in Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Fillmore, Greencastle and Roachdale, voters in these municipalities will have the chance to cast their ballots even before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Early voting will be available beginning Wednesday, Oct. 11 and continuing until noon on Monday, Nov. 6.

Any registered voter in Putnam County who resides inside the city limits of Greencastle or the town limits of Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Fillmore or Roachdale may vote in advance on the second floor of the Putnam County Courthouse from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The courthouse and the vote center at the Bainbridge Community Center will also be open for absentee (early) voting 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 4. A voter must provide a government-issued photo ID before casting a ballot in-person at the clerk’s office or at the polls on Election Day. The ID must fit the following criteria:

• Your ID must display your photo.

• Your name on the ID must conform with your voter registration record. Conform does not mean identical.

• Your ID must contain an expiration date and either still be current or have expired sometime after Nov. 2, 2022 (the last General Election Day).

• Your ID must be issued by the State of Indiana or the U.S. government.

Any person requiring an absentee ballot to be mailed to them in-county, out-of-county or out-of-state must complete an application for an absentee ballot. Forms are available at the Voter Registration Office (on the second floor in the courthouse) or may be downloaded from the Indiana Election Division website (www.in.gov/sos/elections/) and must be filed before the ballot can be mailed. The deadline to receive an application for an absentee ballot to be mailed is midnight on Oct. 26.

For those individuals confined to their homes due to illness, injury or a handicap, a request may be made that the ballot be brought to their home by a traveling board, or you may choose to have a ballot mailed to you by filling out the application for an absentee ballot.

A voter wishing to vote by mail or traveling board does not have to comply with the photo ID law. To request an absentee ballot application, contact Voter Registration at 655-1538.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10.

Municipal voters should also know about changes in the locations of vote centers for this muncipal election only.

The vote centers for 2023 are:

• Putnam County Courthouse,

• National Guard Armory (Greencastle),

• Bainbridge Community Building and

• Cloverdale American Legion

The National Guard Armory is not one of the usual vote centers, but the county will be using it this year at the request of the City of Greencastle.

It should also be noted that there is not a vote center in every municipality in this year’s election — notably Roachdale and Fillmore. However, registered voters from any of the five municipalities may vote at any of the four centers within the county.

For 2024 election, the county will go back to its usual eight vote centers that have been approved by the State of Indiana.