Vote

Get out and vote

The voting machines have been tested and approved. The candidates are preparing for the last stretch of their campaigns and hopefully voters, like yourself, are ready to head to the polls.

One thing is for certain this November 5, the city of Salem is going to usher in a new mayor. Other offices up for possible changes are the clerk-treasurer office, four precinct council spots and an at-large council position.

If you live in the city limits, it is your duty to vote. This is a pivotable time for the city of Salem and the direction that is goes depends on voters getting out and voting.

If you are not registered, there is still time. October 7 is the deadline for voter registration for Salem districts 1 through 4. You can register one of two ways: 

In person at the clerk’s office in the Washington County Justice Center, 801 S. Jackson St., Ste. 102. Their office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Online, if you have a valid driver’s license, at https://indianavoters.in.gov/PublicSite/PublicMain.aspx.

If you’re unsure if you’re registered or don’t know what precinct you live in, call the clerk’s office, 812-883-5748.

What if you’re not sure if you will be in town on election day, Nov. 5. There are other options available. You can vote early by stopping by the clerk’s office Monday through Friday, Oct. 8 to Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and Nov. 4 from  8 a.m. to noon. If weekdays are inconvenient, the office will also be open Saturday, Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to noon.

You can request an absentee ballot by calling the clerk’s office, who in turn will send out an application for absentee voting. When the application is received in the office, a ballot will go out in the mail. A pre-stamped envelope is enclosed to return the ballot.

There is also a travel board that can come to your home or healthcare facility with a ballot. Voting via the travel board can be setup by also calling the clerk’s office. The deadline for voting with the travel board is Nov. 4th.

All ballots are stored in security envelopes, in a locked cabinet until election day when they are removed from the envelope and processed in the clerk’s office.

For your convenience, sample ballots are included below, one for each district. Remember these are only a tool to help you understand who is running in your district, actual ballots must be completed at the polling location.

There really is no excuse not to exercise your constitutional right to vote.  

lana@salemleader.com

Category:

Please Login for Premium Content

Site Login Help

For current subscribers to The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat, you can login to the site using the following information:

Username: Please use your full email address associated with your account
Password: Please use your last name. Passwords are case sensitive, so please capitalize your last name (eg: Smith)