CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — The deadline to request an absentee ballot is May 21 at 11:59 p.m. That can be done by mail or online.
Two days before the deadline, Clark County's Voter Registration Office sent out the most ballots they've ever sent in one day, according to Clark County Clerk Susan Popp.
"We did not see this kind of volume in 2016. Definitely not in the primary," said Popp, adding that 757 ballots were mailed out on Tuesday.
The coronavirus crisis has pushed back Indiana's primary election to June 2. Popp said her office has encouraged voting by mail.
"That's what we have really tried to promote," she said,"just for the health and safety of not only the voters but the people who will be at the precinct on election day."
The uptick in absentee voting isn't the only thing the pandemic is changing this year. Popp said to expect to see a lot of extra PPE at the polls.
"We've received a lot of PPE from the state of Indiana," she said. "We have electronic poll pads to wipe that surface off. We have face shields for the workers. We have actually barriers for when the voters come in, we have masks and we have gloves."
All of that will be used on election day, and for early voting, which starts next week.
Popp said for Clark County, early voting will be in a tent outside the courthouse.
"Versus coming into the courthouse where we have a tight corridor, this will be much more open and we feel like we can social distance much better outside," said Popp.
Though the high volume of absentee voting, Popp said, could yield smaller crowds in person, she still wants to make sure everyone gets the chance to vote.
"We will do whatever it takes to make people feel comfortable and to know that we're taking this seriously for their protection. We don't want anyone disenfranchised and feel like they can't come and vote because it wouldn't be safe," said Popp.
For more information on early voting, and important deadlines, click here.
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