The statewide voter registration deadline is Monday, April 5. If you are new to the community or recently moved or changed your name, Monday is your deadline to submit a voter registration form by mail or hand-delivery. Marion County voters can download a registration form at www.indy.gov/voter. Forms do require an original signature, so faxed or emailed applications cannot be accepted.
Early voting also begins in the Clerk’s office on Monday, April 5. Voters do not need a reason to vote early, but do need to provide a valid photo ID issued by the state of Indiana or federal government. The Marion County Clerk’s office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday weekdays, until the week of April 26 when we extend our hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Our office will be open the two weekends before the election (April 24 & 25 and May 1& 2) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting ends Monday, May 3 promptly at noon.
Vote-by-mail absentee applications continue to be accepted. The statewide deadline to return an absentee ballot application is midnight, April 26. These forms can be faxed, emailed, mailed or hand-delivered to the Clerk’s office. Once the office receives an absentee ballot application, a ballot is mailed to the voter along with a postage paid return envelope. Vote-by-mail ballots are due on or before Election Day, Tuesday, May 4. Applications or ballots postmarked on the deadline dates and received after the deadline cannot be processed.
Pre-primary campaign finance reports are due by noon, Friday, April 16 for candidates and political action committees appearing on the ballot this May. The reporting period covers January 1 (or the date after 1/1 when they opened a committee) to April 9, 2010. I know many of you are interested in candidates running for office in 2011. They are not required to file a pre-primary report. In fact, their next report is due in January 2011 (assuming their committee remains open for all of 2010).