LAPORTE — The LaPorte County Board of Commissioners is asking state officials to quickly approve no-excuse absentee voting in the general election this year.
Dr. Vidya Kora, the commissioner who introduced the resolution to be sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb and Secretary of State Connie Lawson, is concerned that the county might need additional staff to work the election this year.
The sooner the Indiana Election Commission can decide this question, the better, he said.
Kora, a Democrat, and the other commissioners are also concerned about the health of poll workers, especially since some COVID-19 carriers are asymptomatic.
“Turnout is traditionally very high for presidential elections,” he said. It was higher than normal in the primary, too.
Commissioner Rich Mrozinski, a Republican, expressed his concern that steps be taken to address possibilities for fraud with mail-in voting.
But in Indiana, Kora noted, the signature on the envelope is compared with the signature on the state-issued driver’s license or other state-issued ID to reduce the opportunity for fraud.
Sheila Mathias, a Democrat and president of the Board of Commissioners, lived in Washington state for several years, where there are no polling places, she said.