Indiana will not allow no-excuse mail-in voting for the General Election, according to state officials. Secretary of State Connie Lawson gave an update on election preparations during Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing.
“First, I want to make it clear that we are going forward with a normal election process here in Indiana,” she said. “We will not be making changes like we did in the primary, since the stay-at-home order has been lifted. We’ve been working feverishly behind the scenes to ensure that we can protect poll workers and voters.”
That includes stepping up the amount of personal protective equipment available at polling places. Masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer will be available for voters, while poll workers will get N95 masks, sneeze guards, and disinfectant for voting equipment, along with gloves and hand sanitizer.
But Lawson said Indiana is still expecting a sharp increase in mail-in ballots this year, with estimates ranging as high as 1.8 million, compared to fewer than 54,000 in 2016. She said Indiana law does not allow for officials to set up ballot return drop boxes, but the ballots may be brought to the county clerk’s office, if voters are concerned about mailing them back.
There are 11 specific reasons that Hoosiers may be allowed to vote by mail, but Lawson noted that fear of COVID-19 isn’t one of them. “If you’re confined to your home because you have a condition that puts you at high risk and you’re self-isolating, you may qualify to vote absentee by mail, but if you’re still going to the grocery store and running other errands, you’re not confined to your home,” Lawson said.
Voters who don’t qualify to vote by mail can still vote early in-person, starting October 6.
Lawson also said the need for poll workers and absentee ballot counters remains critical, although county clerks say the shortage isn’t as bad as it was for the primary. “I think the issue has been, over time, that our poll workers are aging, and so of course, this year has been a little more difficult because if you’re an aging poll worker, you’re over 65, even if you don’t have an underlying condition, you’re at high-risk,” Lawson added.
Meanwhile, the state has used federal funding to get cyber security protection for state and county computers to protect the voter registration system. Voting machines themselves are not connected to the internet.
