A sign directing voters set up outside the Johnson County courthouse during the 2022 primary election. Voters must be registered by Oct. 10 to vote in this year’s general election, which will take place Nov. 7.
DAILY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Johnson County voters have until Oct. 10 to submit their voter registration for the Nov. 7 general election.
The deadline applies to unregistered voters, voters who want to transfer their registration and may also apply to residents who didn’t cast their ballots in the previous two federal elections, Johnson County Clerk Trena McLaughlin said.
The last two federal elections include the 2022 congressional election and the 2020 presidential election.
People can call the Johnson County voter registration office at 317-346-4466 to check if they’re registered.
Voters can also check the status of their registration on indianavoters.in.gov.
To register, voters need to be at least 18 years old by Nov. 7. Voters need to be U.S. citizens, not currently be in prison after being convicted of a crime and live in the precinct they’re registering to vote in. Voters can provide proof of their residence with a valid Indiana driver’s license or state identification card. First-time Indiana voters may also need to provide a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document to prove their address, according to the Indiana County Voter Registration Application.
Residents can go online to register at indianavoters.in.gov by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10 to be eligible to vote in the November election, with early voting starting Oct. 23. They can also register in person at the county’s voter registration office, located in the Johnson County Courthouse, by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 10, the same time mail-in applications must arrive at the courthouse. Mail-in applications can be sent to the Johnson County Voter Registration Office, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin. Residents can also register to vote at any license branch, but should check with the voter registration office to make sure their application went through, McLaughlin said.
Only Johnson County residents who live within municipal boundaries can vote this year, as there are no federal, state or county seats up for grabs. Contested races include the Greenwood City Council, and town councils in Bargersville, Edinburgh, Whiteland and Prince’s Lakes. As of Thursday, there were 81,169 registered voters within municipal boundaries eligible to vote in this fall’s election. That number will likely increase before the voter registration deadline, McLaughlin said.
In 2019 there were 88,413 eligible registered voters, but that number is inflated because of a Center Grove schools referendum, making voters in the unincorporated areas of White River Township eligible to vote. In this election they are not, McLaughlin said.
The voter registration office mailed out 22 absentee ballots Thursday, the first day it mailed those ballots for this election. The office mailed 317 absentee ballots for the general election in 2019, 99 of which were not returned, she said.
While 14,706 Johnson County voters cast their ballots in the 2019 general election, that number is likely to decrease this fall without a school referendum on the ballot. The 2019 general election also had more contested races, with contested clerk races in Edinburgh, Prince’s Lakes and Trafalgar and five contested races for Greenwood City Council, compared to three this year, she said.
HOW TO REGISTER
Here’s how to register to vote in the primary election. Those who were already registered are encouraged to check their registrations.
Online: You can register and check your registration at indianavoters.in.gov.
In-person: Visit the county voter registration office at the Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin, or any license branch.
Mail: Address envelopes, including the registration form, available at the courthouse or on indianavoters.in.gov, and copies of any necessary documentation, to Johnson County Voter Registration Office, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin, IN 461431.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10 for online applications. Paper applications must be received by voter registration by 4:30 p.m. that day.
