Early voting for the November election begins Oct. 8 in Monroe County and across Indiana.
Registered voters can cast an early ballot at Election Operations through Nov. 4.
Here’s what to know:
Am I registered to vote?
You can check your voter registration status at IndianaVoters.com. The state conducts regular maintenance of the voter rolls. If your status is “active” or “inactive,” you are eligible to vote, but if the status is “canceled,” your name is not included on the Election Day poll list.
If your voter registration is "cancelled," you might still be allowed to vote a regular ballot under a "fail-safe" provision, according to the Secretary of State’s offce. A person can tell the poll workers, either by speaking or in writing, that they still live at the same address listed in the voter system and meet all the other voting requirements.
But if you are not registered — you can’t vote this year. The state voter registration deadline closed Oct 7.
Do I need identification to vote?
Yes, state law requires it. Bring an approved form of ID to the polls and make sure your voter registration information is up to date. If you’ve moved recently, the home address on the ID does not need to match the home address as long as it’s valid. But your voter registration should have your current home address.
Voting by mail, absentee ballot and on Election Day
Early voting takes place in-person and is not the same as voting by mail, or absentee ballot. Indiana recently tightened the ID requirements for voting by mail. You can qualify to vote absentee for several reasons, including for having to work during voting hours on Election Day, lack of transportation to the polls, or having a disability.
But you must apply to qualify. The Indiana Election Division or your county election office must receive the application by Oct. 24 at 11:59 p.m., even if the application is postmarked before the deadline. There are several requirements and steps to the process, so be sure to take a look in advance of the deadline.
If you are sick, injured, or disabled, you can receive a number of accommodations. You can also qualify to have a traveling board hand-deliver ballots directly to your home. There are accessibility and assistance requirements under federal law and all polling places in Indiana should be compliant. You can receive a number of accommodations. Federal law requires all polling sites to be physically accessible and have at least one accessible voting machine.
Report any accessibility or election day fraud grievances to the bipartisan Indiana Election Division. You can fill out a complaint form or call the toll-free Hoosier Voter Hotline line at 866-IN1-VOTE (866-261-8683) from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day or 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on normal business days.
All 30 of Monroe County’s vote centers will be open on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 5, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voters must go to the polling location for their precinct.
More local information on where and how to vote is available through the Monroe County Public Library's website.
WFIU's Katy Szpak provided local updates to this story.