§ 3-11-4-18 — Transmitting ballots; tracking ballots; additional documentation; voter education program

(a) If a voter satisfies any of the qualifications
described in IC 3-11-10-24 that entitle a voter to cast an absentee ballot
by mail, the county election board shall, at the request of the voter, mail
the official ballot, postage fully prepaid, to the voter at the address
stated in the application. Each ballot may be assigned a unique tracking
number as prescribed by the election division using IMb Tracing or a
similar automated tracking method to provide real-time tracking
information for the envelope containing the ballot. As used in this
subsection, "IMb Tracing" refers to a real-time mail tracking service
offered through the United States Postal Service.
(b) If the county election board mails an absentee ballot to a voter
required to file additional documentation with the county voter
registration office before voting by absentee ballot under this chapter,
the board shall include a notice to the voter in the envelope mailed to
the voter under section 20 of this chapter. The notice must inform the
voter that the voter must file the additional documentation required
under IC 3-7-33-4.5 or IC 3-7-33-4.7 with the county voter registration
office before 6 p.m. on election day.
(c) Except as provided in this subsection, section 18.5 of this
chapter, or IC 3-11-10-26.5, the ballot shall be transmitted:
(1) on the day of the receipt of the voter's application; or
(2) not more than five (5) days after the date of delivery of the
ballots under section 15 of this chapter;
whichever is later. If the election board determines that the county
voter registration office has received an application from the applicant
for registration at an address within the precinct indicated on the
application, and the election board determines that this application is
pending under IC 3-7-33, the ballot shall be mailed on the date the
county voter registration office indicates under IC 3-7-33-5(g) that the
applicant is a registered voter.
(d) As required by 52 U.S.C. 21081, an election board shall
establish a voter education program (specific to a paper ballot or
optical scan ballot card provided as an absentee ballot under this
chapter) to notify a voter of the effect of casting multiple votes for a
single office.
(e) As provided by 52 U.S.C. 21081, when an absentee ballot is
transmitted under this section, the mailing must include:
(1) information concerning the effect of casting multiple votes for
an office; and
(2) instructions on how to correct the ballot before the ballot is
cast and counted, including the issuance of replacement ballots.
[Pre-1986 Recodification Citation: 3-1-22-5(a).]

Legislative History

As added by P.L.5-1986, SEC.7. Amended by P.L.3-1987, SEC.229; P.L.10-1988, SEC.105; P.L.4-1991, SEC.71; P.L.3-1993, SEC.128; P.L.3-1995, SEC.99; P.L.126-2002, SEC.55; P.L.209-2003, SEC.116; P.L.14-2004, SEC.105; P.L.103-2005, SEC.6; P.L.164-2006, SEC.93; P.L.66-2010, SEC.19; P.L.194-2013, SEC.55; P.L.128-2015, SEC.163; P.L.216-2015, SEC.21; P.L.169-2015, SEC.102; P.L.86-2018, SEC.3; P.L.100-2018, SEC.2; P.L.227-2023, SEC.79; P.L.65-2024, SEC.22.