CoronavirusIndiana News

Former Lt. Governors calling for universal absentee voting in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (Network Indiana): Two former lieutenant governors are calling on Governor Holcomb to let anyone who wants vote absentee.

The Indiana Election Commission allowed universal absentee voting for the June primary at Holcomb’s request. But Holcomb this week declared he doesn’t see a reason to do so in November. He says unlike the runup to the primary, Indiana is not under lockdown, and says voters have opportunities to vote early if they want to avoid lines on Election Day.

Republican John Mutz and Democrat Kathy Davis say people shouldn’t have to risk catching the coronavirus when they could mail their votes. Mutz, who was lieutenant governor under Governor Robert Orr, charges opponents are fearful of angering President Trump, who’s repeatedly claimed mail-in voting would lead to fraud.

Mutz and Davis, who served under Governor Joe Kernan, note the president is drawing a nonexistent distinction between voting by mail and absentee voting. And Davis says there’s no evidence for the claim that mail-in voting will open the door to fraud.

Senior citizens and others with specific exemptions can already vote absentee in Indiana. In 2016, they made up a third of the state’s vote. Half the voters in this year’s June primary opted to vote by mail.

Indiana is one of just seven states which has not authorized universal mail-in voting for November. 34 states already had no-excuse absentee voting or conduct elections exclusively by mail. Nine more have lifted restrictions due to the pandemic.

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6 comments

Pat August 3, 2020 at 11:33 am

expanded absentee voting is a bad idea —- we need people to show up and show their ID —- expand the number of early voting sites and regular voting sites and/or lengthen the hours day-of-election sites are open, if necessary, but make people show their ID

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Victoria Martin August 3, 2020 at 11:59 am

Possibly include a photo of your ID when you return your vote by mail? I agree that people do need to provide a legal ID.

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GM Cook August 3, 2020 at 2:13 pm

I totally agree Pat, Never has our vote meant so much in the history of the United States , This Election is not just about the Presidency, it’s so much more , it’s our Freedom, it’s our Children’s Freedom, it’s a choice of not living in a Socialist society, it’s not going to go to a Cashless society, where you’re tracked and have no freedom of how you spend your money, it’s a Choice of Not having Pedophile as our President. So please love your family as well Vote Trump 2020 anything else is going to be a disaster , our Freedom will be gone as we’ve known it forever

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Scott Vanlandingham August 3, 2020 at 6:18 pm

I agree it is about our Freedom,we never been free and Trump has shown he has no Leadership skills and has our Country divided like never before. Absentee voting allows our senior citizens and people with medical conditions to stay home and not risk their lives and be able to have an opinion on the freedom of our country. We need somebody that is going to bridge the gap with economical an education depression bring us together as one..

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Rocky August 4, 2020 at 8:53 am

You would have such an opinion if you buy into the mainstream narrative that Trump can do no good and the Division in this Country solely lies with Trump. Sad that so many people such as yourself live with your head in the sand.

A vote against Trump is a vote for the Democrats’ fascism=no freedom. Go ahead, try and make a factual argument against that statement. I bet you can’t…

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Pat August 4, 2020 at 11:15 am

normal absentee voting as we have had for decades is fine —- we do NOT need an expansion to absentee voting

Reply

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