The number of registered voters in Johnson County has dropped by more than 4 percent since the presidential election due to a statewide cleanup that removes residents who haven’t voted in the last two federal elections.
The deadline to register or update your registration is Oct. 9. That means you have two weeks to make sure your registration wasn’t removed or report if you’ve moved, if you want to vote. Nearly 7,000 more residents are at risk of having their voter registrations removed from the system in the coming years.
As of now, 102,745 Johnson County residents are registered to vote, which is down from the 2016 presidential election, even though more people are living in Johnson County. In the 2016 election, 107,546 were registered. The drop is significant and not typical, Johnson County Clerk Sue Anne Misiniec said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Voters can register, check their registration status or update their information online by visiting www.indianavoters.in.gov. They can also view their ballot ahead of time.
“You can easily check your registration and make sure everything’s OK and you’re good to go,” Misiniec said. “Really, everyone should do that.”
Another reason a voter may no longer be registered is a communication glitch at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, she said.
“They’re supposed to ask if you’ve changed addresses when you update your driver’s license, if you’d also like to update your voter registration. But sometimes they don’t,” she said.
“The responsibility is up to the voter, though, just like it is to update your driver’s license,” Misiniec said.
Deputy Clerk Reagan Higdon said even more voters will be removed from the polls in the next couple of elections as the cleanup continues.
“They’re usually inactive for at least four years before they’re canceled,” Higdon said.
Out of this year’s registered voters, 6,707 are considered inactive. Their registration will likely be canceled as well if they don’t vote this year, Higdon said.
“They either haven’t voted in several years, or they moved somewhere else and didn’t notify us,” Misiniec said. “But some of these people would be 100-something years old.”
The state sent postcards to voters, which they were expected to fill out and return to keep their voter registration updated and accurate. If the card was returned to the post office without being delivered, the state sent another postcard. If the second one was also returned, the voter was labeled inactive in the system. If the voter remains inactive for two federal elections, their voter registration is canceled.
Your safest bet, even if you think you are registered, is to double check online. If you can’t find your information online, call the voter registration office for help.
“They get nervous when they can’t find themselves. It could be where we’ve misread one of the numbers on their date of birth so we put it in wrong, or they might have registered with the last four (numbers) of their social (security number). If that’s the case, they’re not going to find themselves (online) unless we had their driver’s license number,” Higdon said. “Don’t worry. Just call us.”
The registration deadline is Oct. 9. Early voting in Johnson County starts the next day. But the clerk’s office asks that voters wait two weeks after they register before they attempt to vote so that all of their information has time to flow through the state and back to Johnson County to be entered in the system.
“Some people think you can register the night before, but you cannot,” Misiniec said.
Election Day is Nov. 6, and voters will be able to go to any of the 20 vote centers throughout the county to vote. A few vote centers will be open leading up to the election for early voting.
In this election, voters will choose a new sheriff, clerk, auditor, recorder and school board members, among other positions. Depending on where you live, you may get to vote in a referendum that could affect how much you pay in property taxes.
“We saw a big increase (in voters) in 2016 because that was a presidential, national election. A lot of people don’t vote except on that presidential year,” Misiniec said. ““I haven’t heard a lot of hype here in Johnson County this year. But the sheriff’s race always brings out a lot of people.”
She expects a lot of people who would usually only vote during presidential elections will want to vote this year because of the Mike Braun and Joe Donnelly Senate race.
“Nationally, it is a very important seat because it could change what’s going on in D.C. as far as balance in the Senate is concerned. It will certainly be interesting. I think it will bring a lot of people out. I truly do,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Are you registered? Find out.” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
There are two ways voters can check their registration status:
Visit www.indianavoters.in.gov
Call Johnson County’s voter registration office at 317-346-4450 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Voters, whether they vote early or on Election Day, will cast their vote at one of 20 vote centers scattered throughout the county.
Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
Early voting: Oct. 10 – Nov. 5
Election Day: Nov. 6
What you need to register:
- Have a valid Indiana Driver’s License or Indiana State Identification Card
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election (a 17-year-old may register and vote in the primary election if the voter turns 18 on or before the next general or municipal election)
- Have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days before the next general, municipal or special election
- Not currently imprisoned after being convicted of a crime
What to take with you to the polls:
- An Indiana State Identification Card; a driver’s license, military ID or student ID if it was issued by a state college or university and has an expiration date
[sc:pullout-text-end]
