INDIANAPOLIS (June 16, 2016) – This week, some Hoosier voters will start receiving postcards in the mail from the Secretary of State Election Division asking them to confirm their current address or update their voter registration information. Voters who receive this postcard must respond to ensure their voter registration information is accurate.
“Every year, I get calls from Hoosiers wanting to know why a neighbor or child who moved years ago is still listed on a poll book,” said Secretary of State Connie Lawson. “People not only find this upsetting, it undermines their faith in our elections. The voter list refresh we are doing this summer, will ensure Indiana’s list are accurate and give voters confidence in the integrity of our elections.”
In May, the office sent postcards to all active Hoosier voters to identify outdated voter information. The office is now sending a second round of forwardable postcards to voters whose first postcard was returned as an undeliverable address, asking them to take action by confirming or updating their registration information. Hoosiers who receive a second postcard should fill it out and promptly return it to the Secretary of State Election Division.
Voters who received a second postcard have until August 5 to confirm or update their voter information. Voters who do not confirm or update their information will have their record put on the inactive list. Being on the inactive list does not mean a voter cannot vote. It simply means a voter’s record appears to have an incorrect address and the voter did not update or confirm their information. The voter will still be eligible to vote in November. If the voter casts a ballot from that address in November, their record will be reclassified as active. If they do not vote in November, they can still vote in the federal elections of 2018. If they do not vote in any election prior to January 2019, the county voter registration office may then remove them from the poll lists.
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires regular voter list updating. Two federal election cycles (up to four years) must pass before a county may remove an inactive voter from the list. Federal law also says the state or county must attempt to contact the voter twice by mail before the voter’s record can be reclassified as inactive.
All voters are encouraged to check their voter registration information online at www.indianavoters.com or at their local county clerk’s office and update their information if necessary. Voters may contact the Secretary of State’s office with questions at 1-866-IN-1-VOTE, sos@sos.in.gov or 200 W. Washington Street Room 201, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
