Various deadlines for election nearing

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Absentee voting will be available for the Nov. 4, 2008 General Election beginning Monday, Oct. 6 and continuing until noon on Monday, Nov. 3.

Any Putnam County registered voter qualified to vote in the Primary Election may vote, in advance, on the second floor of the Putnam County Courthouse from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The courthouse will also be open for absentee voting 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1. A voter now must provide a government-issued photo I.D. before casting a ballot in person at the clerk's office or at the polls on Election day.

The I.D. must fit the following criteria:

* Your I.D. must display your photo

* Your name on the I.D. must conform with your voter registration record. (Conform does not mean identical)

* Your I.D. must contain an expiration date and either still be current or have expired sometime after Nov. 7, 2006 (the last General Election Day).

* Your I.D. 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 of the courthouse) 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. 27, 2008.

For those people confined to their homes dues 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 new photo I.D. law. To request an absentee ballot application, contact voter registration at 655-1538.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 6.

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