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September is National Voter Registration Month
On Wednesday, the Office of Indiana Secretary of State issued a press release reminding elgible voters that Sept. 2016 is National Voter Registration Month.
“With only eight weeks to go until the general election on Nov. 8, there is no time to waste in verifying your voter registration and polling location,” Secretary of State Connie Lawson said. “Voting is a privilege we enjoy as citizens and getting ready to vote in Indiana is simple and straightforward.”
Persons needing to register can do so today at their local county voter registration office, Indianavoters.com or the Indiana Voters app for Android and Apple users. The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) created a short video, “Top Voting Questions Answered/Get #ReadytoVote,” to help answer questions. You can also contact the Putnam County voter registration clerk, Stacia Hathaway, at 765-655-1538 or voterregistration.putnam@airhop.com.
The deadline to register to vote in the general election in Putnam County is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Early voting is available starting Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday on the second floor of the courthouse. Early voting will also be available Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Early voting will end Nov. 7 at noon.
Voters can request a mail-in absentee ballot by completing and submitting an application by Oct. 31. Those who don’t want to vote by mail can request a team come to their residence and assist them.
Voters can find their polling location by either calling the county office or visiting Indianavoters.com. All voters must present an Indiana driver’s license, Indiana identification card, military ID or passport before voting.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that roughly 35 percent of eligible Hoosiers are not registered to vote. According to the Putnam County Voter Registration Office, a total of 24,884 people are registered to vote, but 4,560 of them are inactive. These voters, Hathaway said, can still vote, but will “go into the inactive state” if they don’t vote in 2016.
“And that’s all part of this voter list maintenance we’re trying to do,” Hathaway said. “We’ve had a lot of voters go into the inactive state. We’re required by law to do (voter list maintenance) every two years, and I think it’s going to help a lot. If (voters in the inactive state) come to the poll and vote they’ll automatically be put into an active state.”
September was established as National Voter Registration Month by the nation’s Secretaries of State in 2002 to encourage voter participation and increase awareness of state requirements and deadlines for voting.