Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Election Commission on Friday voted against a proposal to expand absentee voting by mail to all voters for the November election.
The commission allowed all voters to cast a ballot by mail for the June 2 primary because of the pandemic, but Republicans have argued that it is not necessary to make that change for the Nov. 3 election. Current state law requires a voter to have one of several reasons in order to be eligible to vote by mail, such as being at least 65 years old, having to work all 12 hours that the polls are open or not having access to transportation to the polls.
During Friday’s virtual commission meeting, the Democratic members of the four-person board offered a proposal that, among other things, would have allowed all voters to cast a ballot by mail in November.
But the Republican members opposed making that change. The board voted 2-2 on the proposal, falling short of the majority vote needed for passage.
Commission Chairman Paul Okeson, a Republican, said he didn’t think it would be appropriate to take action on voting by mail while several federal lawsuits involving Indiana are pending. He said he expects judges to offer rulings well before Election Day.
But the Democratic members of the board argued that decisions need to be made now to give counties time to adapt and prepare.
“The time that this process takes is not one that can wait for the courts,” commission member Suzannah Wilson Overholt said.
Zachary Klutz, the other Republican member on the commission, said he believed allowing all voters to cast a ballot by mail would be a policy change that would not be appropriate for the commission to make. Instead, he said, state lawmakers should make that decision.
But commission member Anthony Long, a Democrat, said he doesn’t believe it is a policy change, because Democrats are only suggesting the change be made for the November election—not for all future elections.
Long said that, as of Thursday, more than 37,100 voters had requested absentee ballots, compared to only about 100 who had done so by this time in 2016.
“Voters in Indiana are frightened,” Long said. “They’re trying to get absentee ballots.”
Long and Overholt said the data shows the pandemic is not going away. Indiana has recently been reporting more than 1,000 new positive COVID-19 cases per day on a regular basis.
“People in this situation should not have to make a choice between risking their health and exercising their right to vote,” Long said.
Klutz said the situation was different in the spring when the change was made for the primary election because the statewide stay-at-home order was in effect and state officials did not know how long that would be in place.
“We’re still dealing with a pandemic, but the factors have changed,” Klutz said. “We are now in Stage 4.5 of a five-stage back-on-track plan. … We are much further down the road now.”
The board also couldn’t agree on a proposal to provide counties with envelope-opening technology to help speed up the process of counting ballots submitted by mail.
Okeson said there is a window of opportunity to purchase the machines, and he’s worried the state will miss it.
Overholt said the need for these envelope-opening machines proves the Republican members of the commission are acknowledging the anticipated increase in voting by mail.
“You don’t need electronic fancy letter-openers if you’re not having increased volume,” Overholt said. “They go hand in hand.”
The board voted 2-2 on that proposal, too.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
The GOP proving once again they take orders from Trump. Remember this on November 3rd. Also remember you can vote early, in person at any early voting location in Marion County.
Hmmm, so the Democrats don’t get their marching orders from the DNC, Pelosi, and Schumer!? (throw in Schiff and Nadler for fun) Remember that on November 3. But, as you said, the simple solution, if you don’t want to go to the polls on election day, is to vote early. Early voting starts October 6.
James I am not sure how this is a Trump order, but two party verification of the electoral response should be a minimum requirement. We became the greatest country in the world and showing up in person has been the process since January 7th 1789, We the People should not allow either party to lull the US Citizens in to a compromise of validation of our individual vote. The founding fathers compromised between tyranny and natural law to form the United States of American and the U. S. Constitution, the least we can do is not compromise on maintaining our foundation. The vote by mail has may flaws, including the failure to control chain of possession of the ballot. Vote by mail could be accomplished but ballots would need to validated by two parties and then Notarized and deposited in a secure delivery vessel. What this really looks like is going to polls and vote. Lets not let the tail wag the dog issues prevail in this discussion, we have more ways to commute in 2020 than we have at any other time in our history. And yes, in Indiana you can vote at the county courthouse in all 92 counties.
Baloney, James. People have absentee ballots they can use or four weeks or early voting to choose from. If they can’t make it during those 4 weeks or use the absentee system, they aren’t that serious about exercising their right to vote. Meanwhile, the Dems just want wholesale ballots going out to be packaged up with Lord knows what non-existent IDs to grant as many unqualified people as possible to vote for their stupidity. I got a good meme is this morning’s e-mails: Democrats have issued an ultimatum for the fall elections: Either Vote for us to destroy America or we’ll destroy America. Spot-on, from the way things are shaping up.
Anyone voting for Trump is morally corrupt. Over 20,000 lies, corruption, racism, etc. Trump only cares about himself. He obstructed Moeller, exhorted Ukraine and has totally blown COVID-19. Now Trump is trying to suppress the vote because he knows his pathetic excuse-making, kool-aid drinking base will support him no matter what and new voter won’t.
Mark TDS is debilitating and though we agree on Trumps use of latitude of facts at least he is not a Marxist as Kamala Harris. And yes Harris will be the next President of the United States if Biden wins, FAT CHANCE we are ready for a full blown Bolshevik. You notice they don’t pose Harris as an African American because she is on Jamaican-Indian heritage. Of course she did graduate from the Black Marxist training ground of Howard University and has been classically trained at U of C Hasting and was raise in Berkley, California . DJT may not be all that you would want but at least he is Pro-American.
What would you have Trump to do about the Chinese Virus, Mark? Let’s see, your Trump Derangement Syndrome has it that he should have blocked travel to and from China earlier…and when he does, he’s a racist! You can’t have it both ways, but that’s what you want, right? Take a chill pill.
No, Bob P., Trump’s failure has little to do with the timing of the travel ban. It has everything to do with him not taking the threat seriously, wasting precious weeks to get out ahead of the problem by preparing, gearing up for a national coordinated approach, securing sufficient PPE before the first wave hit, lying about the severity of the problem for weeks on end which lulled nincompoops into a sense of complacency to get prepared, demeaning those who advocated to wear masks, and the freaking list goes on and on.
Mark and Horatio: So what were the Dumbocrats trying to do during that time? Answer: Pissing away United States time and money trying to impeach Trump to placate their base. How about if all that money, time, and energy had gone into China Virus analysis and prevention? You guys are an embarrassment to intelligent people: Hate Trump if you want, but while you’re at it, how about explaining the validity of all that Impeachment nonsense that they knew damn well wouldn’t stand an ice cube’s chance in hell in the Senate?
Trump votes by mail. Why can’t everyone else? Hmmmmmmmm…….
One invalid vote will not sway and entire Primary Election, 5 million could.
Oh, so Trump, the anointed one, is more equal than everyone else? got it. smh. Enjoy the Hamberders and don’t forget to clutch your pearls kids! Have nice weekend, I’m Audi 5000. Thanks for making my point.
James, c’mon man. We heard it straight from Trump, when a state like Florida has taken all the necessary precautions to insure the integrity of its systems and done so with a Republican governor and Legislature … hey, wait a minute …
This should be a CITIZEN issue. We want all citizens to participate in the electoral process but we continue to make it difficult. Elections held on a “working day”, no early voting, polls so crowded that even without pandemic, many people chose not to spend the time. When will be decide how to involve all citizens in the process?
All government officials serve to make society better, yet will not reform to the benefit of all citizens.
No evidence of anything resembling widespread fraud. Republicans have always purposefully engaged in voter disenfranchisement in every possible way, and they’re pulling out all the stops this year in a blatantly racist attempt to tamp down the votes of POC.
I think every prosecuted case of vote fraud recently has been by Republicans. (In Indiana, the example is Charlie White, the former Republican Secretary of State.) Of course, in Trumpworld opposite logic, the existence of proven Republican vote fraud somehow means that Democrats will do it…
Things are different now? By June 2nd, Indiana had almost 2000 deaths, and by election time we will have had 50% more deaths? To quote our President; “it is what it is”. That gives new meaning to the line “Give me Liberty or give me Death”.
So my wife who is over 65 (lucky), but a high risk category (unlucky) gets to vote by mail. Unlike me , I have to go out an stand in line, and because a lack of willing poll workers in the middle of a pandemic, there will be lines. I have to risk exposing me and my wife.
Did anybody mention that Wisconsin was able to trace 71 cases to being forced to vote in person? https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/health-med-fit/71-people-who-went-to-the-polls-on-april-7-got-covid-19-tie-to/article_ef5ab183-8e29-579a-a52b-1de069c320c7.html
Here is an email address for the Indiana Election Commission
elections@iec.in.gov
Hey all you Libs: Quit whining and go vote early.
Of course In Indiana, you’ll be wasting your time anyway. But there’s always Chicago where you can vote multiple times and don’t even have to live there. By the way, I’ll be voting by mail here. It’s called absentee voting -where your legality to vote is actually verified. No handing out ballots on street corners or trading signatures for bottles of wine.
Idiotic commentary
Good one, John!
The IEC allowed all to mail in for the Primary in June because of the pandemic, but the Republicans day it isn’t necessary for the November election.
We are still in a pandemic Republicans, and the virus is worst than in June and increasing!
Republicans, and definitely Trump, are afraid he might not win so there has to be someone or something to blame.
Trump Pro-American? What a joke! He has ruined America’s relationship with all our Allies, every Nation, every Country in the World.
He does not represent the American people, what we think, how we feel, how we care and have empathy for others regardless of who they are or where they are from.
We need to make America great again by voting This election any way we can to get rid of Trump.
{done to the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer”}
.
“Then I saw the tape…now I’m a Peeliever…”
.
Donald’s down 79%-21%. Yeah, yeah, I know Hillary had a lead and lost but being down 30% (not 58%) is going to make him awfully interesting to watch to try to gyrate his way to remain in the WH. Today’s feeble-minded attempt? Trying to claim she’s not a citizen and can’t run? Donald: if you can’t run a clean race, why not just offer to race him across the WH lawn?
Steve R., the notion that Trump is “pro-American” is contrary to virtually everything he’s done in office. And I say that as a lifelong Republican. Trump does not care one whit about this country or the people living in it. The latest proof of that? When confronted with Putin paying bounties to the Taliban for every American soldier killed, what did Trump do? Nothing.
Bob P., Trump tried to get a foreign ally to interfere with an American election to announce a fake investigation of his political rival. This is after Trump welcomed help in 2016 from Russia to win the election that year. Would you have been okay with that if Hillary Clinton did either of those things? I’m pretty sure you would not have been.
Trump’s impeachment was very much earned by Trump. He deserved it. My Republican Party is not doing itself any favor by riding the Trump Train over the political cliff.
Steve R.
Right on point with your historic facts on elections!
Virus: real…BUT not the “killer” the activist/media are pushing. This isn’t a death sentence. It’s this years flu strain.
Media; fear mongers/activists
Tragically, over 40% of deaths are in long term care.
5 million “cases”? In a country of over 330 million people = 1.5% of the population ….
Please be smarter than the activists are telling you what you need to feel & think.
Fair election?: vote in person, PROVE WHO YOU ARE. We are being “controlled” by a do nothing congress & their personal agendas. They are not doing their jobs. They are making knee jerk reactions & new “rules” as they go. Kindergartners make up better rules for games…..
Stand up for OUR COUNTRY.