Bartholomew County election officials are urging elderly voters, as well as voters with respiratory or immune system issues and voters living in assisted living facilities, to vote by mail in the upcoming primary over concerns over the global coronavirus outbreak.
In an added concern, the officials are asking those who do vote by mail to avoid licking envelopes to seal ballots returned by mail.
Currently, the primary is still scheduled for May 5 and local election officials are continuing to monitor the coronavirus outbreak as election day approaches, according to a joint statement signed by Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps, Bartholomew County Election Board Chairman Jim Holland and Bartholomew County Election Board Vice-Chairwoman Julie Schuette.
Currently, voters can request an absentee mail-in ballot. Election officials are working to finalize the ballot and will start sending out mail-in ballots to people who requested them starting March 20, Phelps said. The deadline to request an absentee ballot application is April 23, and the deadline to return the ballot by mail is election day.
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A family member or a friend can request an absentee ballot application on behalf of a loved one, according to the statement. County election officials will mail the absentee ballot application to the appropriate address on the form, and the voter will fill out the form and sign it.
“We are highly recommending that all elderly voters, voters with respiratory issues, voters in assisted living facilities, voters who have a weaker immune systems or anyone wanting to avoid crowds to vote by mail in order to protect themselves. Please be sure to use envelope sealer when mailing items to our office rather than licking envelopes to avoid the spread of germs,” according to the statement.
The Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office also is making preparations for any potential local outbreaks of coronavirus in the time before the primary, including potentially reducing the number of vote centers to protect voters, poll workers and election staff, according to the statement.
“We have been in contact with the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office, and we have to prepare for the possibility of a poll worker shortage should the situation get worse. If this happens, we will be sure to give you plenty of notice through the media, social media, and we will put signs on the doors of the vote centers that we are no longer using,” the statement says.
Phelps said the precautionary measures are “unprecedented,” but on-site early voting at the Bartholomew County Courthouse, which starts April 7, is still proceeding as planned for the moment.
“It’s all about the unknown right now,” Phelps said. “If (COVID-19) comes to Bartholomew County that will affect how we proceed. As of right now we’ve contacted the parties or the poll workers and there hasn’t been any push back right now.”
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Columbus and Bartholomew County officials have created a site on the Bartholomew County website where information will be shared about coronavirus, at bartholomew.in.gov/emergency-management.html#covid-19.
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