Absentee Voting

To vote absentee-by-mail in Indiana, a voter must be able to personally mark their own ballot and sign their name to the completed ballot security envelope and have a reason to request an absentee vote-by-mail ballot:

1. You have a specific, reasonable expectation that you will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 am until 6 pm).
2. You have a disability.
3. You are at least 65 years of age.
4. You will have official election duties outside of your voting precinct.
5. You are scheduled to work at your regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
6. You will be confined due to illness or injury or you will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
7. You are prevented from voting because of a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
8. You are a participant in the state's address confidentiality program.
9. You are a member of the military or a public safety officer.
10. You are a "serious sex offender" as defined in Indiana Code 35-42-4-14(a).
11. You are prevented from voting due to the unavailability of transportation to the polls.

How to Apply for a Vote-by-Mail Ballot

A voter does need to file an application before each election for which the individual wants to vote absentee-by-mail.

To vote absentee by mail, a voter must first complete an ABS-Mail (En Espanol) application before each election. The application to request a vote-by-mail ballot must be received not later than 11:59PM, 12-days before the election.

Important! The county or the state must have the application in their possession by this deadline; any application received after this deadline – even if it’s postmarked before the deadline – cannot be processed.

Voters can download and print the ABS-Mail form OR call their county election official or the Indiana Election Division at (317) 232-3939 for an application to be mailed to the voter OR visit their county election office or election division to pick-up an application in-person. Remember, the application must be in the possession of election officials by the deadline to be processed for the election.

Beginning July 1, 2023, a voter must provide with any absentee ballot application EITHER a photocopy of identification card that complies with the state’s photo ID law OR one or more of the following voter identification numbers:

1. the voter’s Indiana driver’s license number or Indiana identification card number;
2. the voter’s unique voter ID number assigned to their voter registration record in SVRS; or
3. the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number.

If the voter is providing a photocopy of their identification card, the county will evaluate whether the ID complies with the state’s photo ID law (IC 3-5-2-40.5) before processing the absentee application. https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/photo-id-law/. Absentee applications can be sent by email; therefore, scanned image or a photograph, for example, of the voter’s identification is acceptable.

If the voter opts to provide a voter identification number instead, then the voter only needs to provide one of the three numbers noted above. However, it is recommended that the voter provide more than one number since at least one will need to match the voter’s registration record or, if not available on their registration record, match against the number maintained by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration. If a voter ID number is not on the voter’s registration record AND the voter ID number is successfully matched against BMV or Social Security records, then the number will be added to the voter’s registration record.

The voter’s absentee ballot application may be delayed if the county election board cannot match at least one of the identification numbers with the voter's registration record or with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration OR a photocopy of the voter’s identification card is not included in the application. Voters will receive notice from their county election administrator if an absentee application is found defective or is rejected.

Hoosier voters who are currently registered to vote can file an absentee application:

1/ Online at www.indianavoters.com by logging in to their “my voter portal page” by entering the requested information exactly as it appears on their voter registration record. When on the main landing page, the voter selects the “ABS-Mail” or “ABS-Mail (Por Correo)” option and enters the information as prompted. After clicking “submit,” a confirmation screen appears that allows the voter to download and retain a copy for their records. There is no need to sign and return the online submission since the system applies the voter’s registration signature to the application on the back end.

2/ By mail or hand-delivery. Physical addresses to the county election boards are found on the back of the ABS-Mail application. Please contact their office directly to determine office hours. Remember, if you take custody of another’s absentee ballot application, you are to deliver it to the election official not later than noon, ten (10) days after receiving it OR the application deadline, whichever comes first.

3/ By email. This requires the voter to print, sign, and scan or photograph their absentee ballot application and, if applicable, a copy of the voter’s identification card and send it to the county election official or the Indiana Election Division at elections@iec.in.gov.

A voter with disabilities may request that another person sign the voter’s name on their behalf on the application. The person providing the assistance may not be the voter’s employer or union representative and must complete the affidavit of assistance found on the application. If the assistor is the voter’s power of attorney (POA), the POA paperwork should be submitted with the application.

A first time voter in Indiana who registered to vote by mail and did not provide proof of residency either with their voter registration application or absentee ballot application will be asked to provide the documentation before 6 p.m. on Election Day. The notice will be included in your absentee balloting materials from the county. Proof of residency can be a state-issued ID where the address matches the voter’s registration, but can also be a bank statement, utility bill, government document, etc. where the address on the document corresponds to the voter’s registration address.

Returning your Absentee-By-Mail Ballot

If your application is reviewed and approved by bi-partisan county election officials, a ballot packet is mailed to you. This packet will include your ballot, the absentee voter bill of rights, and a first-class postage pre-paid return security envelope.

A voter may have assistance completing their ballot in addition to assistance with placing the ballot inside the envelope and sealing it. The assistor cannot be the voter’s employer or union representative or their agent, however, be sure the assistor completes the affidavit of assistance! The voter should sign the ballot envelope (or make their mark) on the signature line. A voter’s power of attorney (POA) may attest to the voter’s signature but is to enclose their POA with the ballot materials inside the security envelope and complete the affidavit found on the absentee return envelope.

County election officials must receive an absentee-by-mail ballot not later than 6:00 p.m. (local prevailing time) on Election Day. County election officials must have possession of the ballot by this deadline; postmarks – even if dated on or before the date of the election – cannot be considered timely.

Finally, pursuant to state law, only the voter, the voter’s attorney-in-fact, a bonded courier, or a member of the voter’s immediate household, or a member of the voter’s family may hand-deliver a completed absentee ballot to the county election board, including delivery to any early voting location. Any person other than the voter doing so is to complete the ABS-19 affidavit. A voter’s family is defined as the spouse, parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece whose relationship to the voter is the result of birth, marriage, or adoption.

Troubleshooting Absentee-By-Mail Ballot Issues

Before Election Day, a voter who has an absentee application on file can fix most issues by filing an ABS-5 form with county election officials. Examples include spoiling a ballot because the voter made an error, mistakenly signing your name on your spouse’s ballot envelope, forgetting to sign your ballot envelope, or receiving the wrong ballot or a ballot lacking two sets of initials.

However, in the primary election, a voter may not use the ABS-5 to switch parties. Once an absentee application is on file for the election, the party selection cannot be changed. On Election Day, a voter who requested an absentee ballot but never received it in the mail may complete the PRE-5 affidavit at their polling location and vote a regular ballot, if otherwise qualified; OR

A voter may surrender their absentee ballot to the Inspector, who can then issue a regular ballot, if the voter is otherwise qualified; OR

A voter who had their absentee ballot rejected by county officials may appear before the county election board not later than 5PM on Election Day to request an ABS-21 form and then go to their polling place to vote a regular ballot, if otherwise qualified.

Absentee voting by travel board is an option for some voters to have a bi-partisan team deliver the voter’s ballot and assist the person with completing their ballot during the 19-day period before the election. To vote absentee-by-traveling board, one of the following must apply:

1. The voter expects to be confined, due to illness or injury, or the voter expects to be caring for a confined person at a private residence, on Election Day.
2. The voter is a voter with disabilities and believes their polling place is not accessible to them.
3. The voter is physically unable to complete the ballot and sign the affidavit on their own.

Voters voting by traveling board must complete an ABS-Traveling Board application before each election. The application to request a travel board must be received not later than noon (local prevailing time), the day before the Election.

Important! The county or the state must have the application in their possession by this deadline; any application received after this deadline – even if it’s postmarked before the deadline – cannot be processed.

Appointments may be limited! Voters interested in the travel board option are encouraged to apply early.

How to Apply for Travel Board

Beginning July 1, 2023, a voter must provide with any absentee ballot application EITHER a photocopy of identification card that complies with the state’s photo ID law OR one or more of the following voter identification numbers:

1. the voter’s Indiana driver’s license number or Indiana identification card number;
2. the voter’s unique voter ID number assigned to their voter registration record in SVRS; or
3. the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number.

If the voter is providing a photocopy of their identification card, the county will evaluate whether the ID complies with the state’s photo ID law (IC 3-5-2-40.5) before processing the absentee application. https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/photo-id-law/ Absentee applications can be sent by email; therefore, scanned image or a photograph, for example, of the voter’s identification is acceptable.

If the voter opts to provide a voter identification number instead, then the voter only needs to provide one of the three numbers noted above. However, it is recommended that the voter provide more than one number since at least one will need to match the voter’s registration record or, if not available on their registration record, match against the number maintained by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration. If a voter ID number is not on the voter’s registration record AND the voter ID number is successfully matched against BMV or Social Security records, then the number will be added to the voter’s registration record.

The voter’s absentee ballot application may be delayed if the county election board cannot match at least one of the identification numbers with the voter's registration record or with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration OR a photocopy of the voter’s identification card is not included in the application. Voters will receive notice from their county election administrator if an absentee application is found defective or is rejected.

Voters can download and print the ABS-Traveling Board form OR call their county election official or the Indiana Election Division at (317) 232-3939 for an application to be mailed to the voter OR visit their county election office or election division to pick-up an application in -person. Remember, the application must be in the possession of election officials by the noon, deadline to be processed for the election.

Please include a phone number or email address on the traveling board application! County officials must be able to contact the voter to schedule a mutually agreeable time for the bi-partisan team to deliver the ballot to the voter and provide assistance, when requested. Including a way to contact the individual in the most efficient manner is helpful to everyone. Hoosier voters who are currently registered to vote can file an absentee application to vote by travel board:

1/ Online at indianavoters.com by logging in to their “my voter portal page” by entering the requested information exactly as it appears on their voter registration record. When on the main landing page, the voter selects the “ABS-Traveling Board” option and enters the information as prompted. After clicking “submit,” a confirmation screen appears that allows the voter to download and retain a copy for their records. There is no need to sign and return the online submission since the system automatically applies the voter’s registration signature to the application.

2/ By mail or hand-delivery. Physical addresses for the county election boards are found on the back of the ABS-Mail application. Please contact their office directly to determine office hours. And remember, if you take custody of another’s absentee ballot application, you are to deliver it to the election official not later than noon, ten (10) days after receiving it OR the application deadline, whichever comes first.

3/ By email. This requires the voter to print, sign, and scan or photograph their absentee ballot application and, if applicable, a copy of the voter’s identification card and send it to the county election official or the Indiana Election Division at elections@iec.in.gov.

A voter with disabilities may request that another person sign the voter’s name on their behalf on the application. The person providing the assistance may not be the voter’s employer or union representative and must complete the affidavit of assistance found on the application. If the assistor is the voter’s power of attorney (POA), the POA paperwork should be submitted with the application.

A first time voter in Indiana who registered to vote by mail and did not provide proof of residency either with their voter registration application or absentee ballot application will be asked to provide the documentation before 6 p.m. on Election Day. The notice will be included in your absentee balloting materials from the county. Proof of residency can be a state-issued ID where the address matches the voter’s registration, but can also be a bank statement, utility bill, government document, etc. where the address on the document corresponds to the voter’s registration address.

State and federal law set forth special procedures for military and overseas voters, who are to use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) created by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). The FPCA serves a dual purpose – to allow a military or overseas voter to register to vote in Indiana and request an absentee ballot. More information about these procedures can be found on fvap.gov OR Indiana’s Military and Overseas Voter Guide

ABS-VPD: Voters with Print Disabilities Combined Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Application (Link to https://forms.in.gov/Download.aspx?id=15195)

A voter with print disabilities is an individual who is unable to independently mark a paper ballot or ballot card due to blindness, low vision, or a physical disability that impairs manual dexterity.

A voter who meets this definition may use the ABS-VPD form, which is a combined form that will both register a person to vote or update an existing registration and serve as a request for an absentee ballot for all elections held during the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). The voter must attest that the individual meets the legal definition of a “voter with print disabilities” to complete and submit the ABS-VPD form with county or state officials.

By using the ABS-VPD form, a voter with print disabilities requesting an absentee ballot to be sent by email will receive a link to the county’s OmniBallot website, an online balloting tool created by Democracy Live. This platform allows a voter who is visually impaired or blind, or has impaired manual dexterity, to use screen reader technology to vote an absentee ballot privately and independently at home. The OmniBallot tool will also allow the voter to add the voter’s signature to the ABS-25 Voter Affidavit either using their cursor or other assistive device to affix the signature by hand or by typing in the voter’s name, both of  which will populate the signature line.

A demonstration site for the OmniBallot tool is available here: https://in.omniballot.us/sites/18/demo/app/home. You will need enter the following information into the test site to access it: 
First Name enter Sample
Last Name enter Voter
Date of Birth enter 1/1/1999
County enter Adams

For voters with print disabilities using the ABS-VPD form, the deadlines for the upcoming election are as follows:

To register to vote or update an existing registration to a new precinct, the ABS-VPD form must be filed with the county voter registration official by April 8, 2024 or submitted online by 11:59 PM local prevailing time, April 8, 2024 in order for the application to be processed before the May 7, 2024 primary election. The ABS-VPD form must be filed with the county voter registration official by October 7, 2024 or submitted online by 11:59 PM local prevailing time, October 7, 2023 in order for the application to be processed before the November 5, 2024 general election.

To vote absentee by email, fax, or mail in the May 7, 2024 primary election, the ABS-VPD form must be received by 11:59 PM, local prevailing time, April 25, 2024. The ballot must be received by the county election board not later than 6:00 PM, local prevailing time on Election Day, May 7, 2024, to be counted.  To vote absentee by email, fax, or mail in the November 5, 2024 General election, the ABS-VPD form must be received by 11:59 PM, local prevailing time, October 24, 2024. The ballot must be received by the county election board not later than 6:00 PM, local prevailing time on Election Day, November 5, 2024, to be counted.

Beginning July 1, 2023, a voter must provide with any absentee ballot application EITHER a photocopy of identification card that complies with the state’s photo ID law OR one or more of the following voter identification numbers:

1. the voter’s Indiana driver’s license number or Indiana identification card number;
2. the voter’s unique voter ID number assigned to their voter registration record in SVRS; or
3. the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number.

If the voter is providing a photocopy of their identification card, the county will evaluate whether the ID complies with the state’s photo ID law (IC 3-5-2-40.5) before processing the absentee application. https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/photo-id-law/. Absentee applications can be sent by email; therefore, scanned image or a photograph, for example, of the voter’s identification is acceptable.

If the voter opts to provide a voter identification number instead, then the voter only needs to provide one of the three numbers noted above. However, it is recommended that the voter provide more than one number since at least one will need to match the voter’s registration record or, if not available on their registration record, match against the number maintained by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration. If a voter ID number is not on the voter’s registration record AND the voter ID number is successfully matched against BMV or Social Security records, then the number will be added to the voter’s registration record.

The voter’s absentee ballot application may be delayed if the county election board cannot match at least one of the identification numbers with the voter's registration record or with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration OR a photocopy of the voter’s identification card is not included in the application. Voters will receive notice from their county election administrator if an absentee application is found defective or is rejected.

A voter with print disabilities is not required to use the ABS-VPD form to register to vote or to vote absentee. However, if a voter with print disabilities wants to use the OmniBallot platform to receive an accessible absentee ballot that works with screen reader technology, then the ABS-VPD form must be used to request that the county send the voter an absentee ballot by email.