§ 14-33-5.4-6 — Absentee ballots

Indiana § 14-33-5.4-6

• Jurisdiction: Indiana
• Art. 33: CONSERVANCY DISTRICTS
• Ch. 5.4: Election of Board Members in Specific Conservancy

Text

(a) A district must adopt a form for
applications for absentee ballots. The form adopted by the district must
elicit the following information from the applicant:
(1) Name.
(2) Location within the district of the real estate that is held by the
applicant, making the applicant a freeholder.
(b) An individual who:
(1) holds a freeholder's interest in real property located within a
district; and
(2) wishes to cast an absentee ballot in an election of directors of
the district;
must present an application for an absentee ballot to the trustee of the
township in which the real property of the freeholder is located. The
application must be made on the form adopted by the district under
subsection (a).
(c) To be accepted, an application for an absentee ballot must reach
the trustee at least thirty (30) days before the election.
(d) When the trustee receives an application for an absentee ballot
under this section, the trustee shall verify that the name of the applicant
appears on the list of freeholders provided to the district under section
4(a) of this chapter. For the purposes of this subsection, the district
shall provide a copy of the list of freeholders to the trustee of each
township that is located in whole or in part within the district at least
thirty (30) days before the election.
(e) If the name of an applicant appears on the list of freeholders, the
trustee shall mail to the applicant:
(1) an absentee ballot; and
(2) instructions on the proper completion and mailing of the
ballot.
(f) The instructions provided by the trustee under subsection (e)(2)
must direct the applicant to return the absentee ballot by mail to the
trustee.
(g) If the name of an applicant does not appear on the list of
freeholders, the trustee shall:
(1) discard the application of the applicant; and
(2) mail to the applicant a letter or postcard informing the
applicant that the applicant's application for an absentee ballot has
been discarded because the applicant's name did not appear on the
list of freeholders.
(h) A trustee shall:
(1) keep a record of each absentee ballot mailed to an applicant
under subsection (e);
(2) retain absentee ballots that are returned to the office of the
trustee before the date of the election; and
(3) on the day of the election, deliver all absentee ballots retained
under subdivision (2) to an election polling place.
(i) The district shall:
(1) supply the trustee with:
(A) absentee ballots; and
(B) envelopes; and
(2) reimburse the expenses incurred by the trustee for postage;
under this section.
(j) If a relative of a trustee is a candidate for director of a district, the
duties of the trustee under this section with respect to the election of
directors of the district shall be carried out by a member of the
township board selected by the trustee.

Legislative History

As added by P.L.185-1995, SEC.2.