Election 2010

Welcome to “Your Decision: Election 2010,” a service provided by This Is Brown County.com to help educate and inform you about voting in Brown County.

This section of our Web site is a work-in-progress, meaning we will update it as often as possible with valuable information you will need in order to make your vote count in 2010.

Register to Vote

The first step in the voting process is to register. Registration can be done in person at the Brown County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, located on the ground floor of the Courthouse in Nashville, or you can download a Voter Registration Form and mail the completed form to:

Brown County Circuit Court Clerk
P.O. Box 85
Nashville, Indiana 47448

Barb Porter is the county’s voter registration coordinator. The phone number to her office is (812) 988-5511.

The deadline to register to vote in the 2010 primary election or to make changes to your existing voter registration is Monday, April 5. Registration applications and updates must be received in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office, by mail or in person, by the close of business that day. If you have moved or changed your name, it is important that you update your voter registration.

If you need assistance completing the form or getting your Voter Registration Application submitted, contact us at election@thisisbrowncounty.com and we will make sure you receive the assistance you need.

Voters can check their registration status as well as find the location of the polling place by visiting www.indianavoters.com. This process was made possible with the implementation of Indiana’s statewide voter file, linking all 92 Indiana counties with several key agencies.

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting will occur in the Brown Circuit Court Clerk’s Office beginning Monday, April 5, 2010. The office will be open for voting from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. In an effort to better serve the local community, voting will continue through the lunch hour. The County Election Board has extended the voting hours on Saturday from past elections in hopes of providing voters more convenient voting times.

In Person Voting Dates and Times in Clerk’s Office are:

Mondays through Fridays, April 5 through April 30—8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 24—9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 1—9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday, May 3—8 a.m. to noon.

Photo Identification Requirements

Indiana law requires all voters to present valid photo identification at the polls and when voting absentee in the Clerk’s Office, according to Brown Circuit Court Clerk Beth Mulry.

The I.D. must meet the following criteria:

Display the voter’s name, and the name must conform with the name on the voter registration record.
Display the voter’s photo.
Contain an expiration date and either be current, or have expired after the date of the last General Election, November 4, 2008. This includes military I.D. with an expiration date of “INDEF.”
Be issued by the State of Indiana or the U.S. Government

In most cases, an Indiana driver’s license, Indiana photo I.D. card, U.S. passport, or Military I.D. will suffice. If a voter does not possess I.D. meeting these requirements, the law requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue an Indiana State I.D. card free of charge, as long as the voter is able to present sufficient identifying documentation.

Voters should note that an expired I.D. that is otherwise valid would fulfill the photo ID requirement as long as it expired within the deadline. This deadline is the date of the most recent General Election, and thus is updated every two years. Additionally, voters should note that the photo I.D. law does not contain a requirement regarding the voter’s address.

The law does provide exemptions for voters who are unable to afford costs associated with obtaining a free I.D.; those with a religious objection to being photographed, and those who are residents of state-licensed facilities that also serve as the voter’s polling place.

Voters who are unable or unwilling to present photo I.D. at the polls will be asked to cast a provisional ballot. The voter will then have 10 days to follow up with the county election board and either present a valid photo I.D. or affirm that one of the law’s exemptions applies to them. More information about the photo I.D. law is available at www.PhotoID.in.gov.

Important Dates to Remember

Monday, April 5, 2010
Deadline to register to vote in the primary election.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Absentee voting begins at the Brown Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Candidate Forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Farm Bureau and the Brown County Democrat; at the County Office Building.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Candidate Forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Farm Bureau and the Brown County Democrat; at the County Office Building.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Deadline for absentee-by-mail applications to be received for the primary election.
Monday, April 26, 2010
CANCELED: Brown County High School and This Is Brown County.com presents “You Decide: Election 2010,” a community forum/debate among candidates for local government; in the BCHS auditorium.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Deadline for absentee voting (at noon).
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Primary Election Day