The Hamilton County Reporter has learned that the June 2 primary will be held as a normal election. This comes despite earlier speculation that it would be called off in favor of a ‘mail only’ election due to the current health crisis.
The official announcement is expected on Monday from Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. County clerks in Indiana’s 92 counties have been left hanging, not knowing whether to prepare for a normal election or a first-of-its-kind ‘mail only’ election.
Indiana will apparently take steps to try to avoid the chaos experienced in Wisconsin earlier this week when there were too few voting places open, and long lines and other problems developed.
In Hamilton County, there has already been a flood of requests for absentee ballots, and election workers are seeking helpers to process the mailed ballot requests. These helpers will be paid $100 per day.
There is likely to also be a need for Election Day poll workers as the number of folks who usually work is expected to decline this year due to age or other health concerns.
On Monday, there are expected to be some guidelines and possibly rule changes on how to handle the voting process. But, local election officials say they will at least know to prepare voting machines, election boards and other needs.
Until now, state election officials who postponed the primary to June 2 had said only they would make a further decision on April 22.
Important to include that now, “All voters may choose to cast a ballot by mail in the upcoming June 2, 2020 Primary Election. To request an absentee-by-mail ballot, please complete this form ( ABS-Mail Primary 2020 ) and return it to your county election officials. The deadline to return the form is May 21, 2020 by 11:59 p.m. local time.”
No excuse is needed this year. That important change should be communicated to everyone. See form below:
https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/ABS-MAIL%20PRIMARY%202020.Form%2056929.3-25-20.pdf
What is so hard to understand: The voting process should not be conducted in the traditional way if doing so could lead to a voters death! Voting by mail is not a risk to one’s health. It is carried out successfully and efficiently in states as diverse as Utah and California, in a manner that is so efficient that during each election cycle more states, of both majority political parties,choose to conduct their elections that way. This is true WITHOUT A PANDEMIC!