All Lake County absentee ballots must be in the hands of Lake County Board of Elections and Registration staff by 6 p.m. Tuesday, election officials said, correcting incorrect information that was unintentionally printed on certain envelopes mailed to absentee voters,
The wrong instructions — that ballots must be received or postmarked by election day and received no later than noon 10 days after the election — were placed on the back side of some ABS-8 envelopes, which is the larger of the two envelopes used to mail an absentee voter’s election materials to the voter, according to a Lake County Board of Elections and Registration public notice.
Those incorrect instructions only apply to absentee voters who are overseas military personnel, according to the notice.
As of Friday, Lake County received 10,281 mail-in ballots of the 12,765 mail-in ballots that were sent out, Lake County Board of Elections and Registration assistant director LeAnn Angerman said.
Even if postmarked on or before election day, if mail-in ballots aren’t returned to county election officials before 6 p.m. on election day, they will be considered late, according to the notice.
Angerman said the Lake County absentee ballots had the wrong instructions on the envelopes and that it was unclear how many absentee mail-in voters received envelopes with the wrong instructions.
“A voter called with a question and we diligently investigated the matter, consulted with state authorities, and transparently reported the finding to the voters,” Angerman said.
Voters with questions should contact the Board’s office at (219) 755-3795.
Early in-person voting ended at noon Monday, and both Lake and Porter counties reported record early voting in person turn out.
In Lake County, as of 2 p.m. Monday, 88,857 voters cast a ballot during early in-person voting, Angerman said. In 2020, 97,632 voters cast their ballots during early in-person voting, while in 2016, 46,643 voters cast their ballots during early in-person voting, she said.
“It’s a very exciting time with early voting turnout. We’re happy to see so many people passionate to come out and vote,” Angerman said.
In Porter County, officials reported that more than 40,000 voters cast a ballot during early in-person voting through Saturday. In 2020, 36,870 voters cast their ballots during early in-person voting, while in 2016, 17,382 voters cast their ballots during early in-person voting, she said.
The Lake County Government Center, an early in-person voting location, saw a long line until the noon cutoff time. Around 11 a.m., two young women saw the length of the line then turned around and said “maybe tomorrow.”
Angelica Vasquez, 35, of Crown Point, said she decided to vote early in-person to “beat the traffic” of voters on Election Day. Her brother Alex Vasquez, 31, said he decided to go vote early in-person because he had the day off from work and had work on Tuesday.
Shortly before 11 a.m., Vasquez said she and her brother had waited about an hour.
Angelica Vasquez said she would vote for former President Donald Trump because she believes that when he was president the country was “in a better place.” Under Trump, Angelica Vasquez said, the economy was stronger and she believes Trump handled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic well.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 350,000 people in the U.S. died of COVID-19 through the end of 2020.
Alex Vasquez said he wanted to cast a ballot “to get the right person in there” to address the economy and inflation.
Matthew Sanchez, 35, of Crown Point, said he was excited to vote in his first election with his wife and 6-month-old daughter by his side. His wife, Sophia Deleon, 40, said she has voted early in-person in previous elections, but this was the first time she had to wait in a long line.
“I’ve never been here while it’s so packed, so it’s nice that so many people came out,” Deleon said. “I love the convenience of it.”
Deleon said it was important to her to vote this election cycle because she wants to protect women’s reproductive rights. Pointing to her daughter, Deleon said she wants her to grow up in a world with equal or more rights than the women before her.
It’s also important, Deleon said, to vote for a candidate that supports union workers and isn’t divisive.
“Bringing the country back together, I’d love to see that,” Deleon said.
Jenna Duncan, 24, of Cedar Lake, said she decided to vote early in-person because it was more convenient with her work schedule, which required her to work Tuesday.
Duncan said she’s voting because she’s a woman and reproductive rights are on the ballot. The results of the election will have a vast impact on the country’s future, she said.
“I think it’s very, very impactful. There are two different ways it could go. It’s very important for the future of our country,” Duncan said.
