A new nonpartisan group has grown from five to 35 members this year to help inspire voter registration and promote deeper understanding of how elections work.
Wayne County’s League of Women Voters has appeared at several community events to promote voter registration and the online guide its members created to provide information about this fall’s election. It’s available at lwvwci.org.
President Kelly Wilkinson said they hope to help voters understand complexities of the election process, such as how primaries and provisional ballots work, and related legislation such as the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
Wilkinson said LWV encourages voters to check their registration at vote411.org to make sure it’s current before Indiana’s Monday, Oct. 5, deadline.
Even though she’s worked the polls previously, Wilkinson said she’s learned more about elections through participation in LWV. It’s an affiliate group under the state chapter. Meetings are at 6 p.m. the first Monday each month at First Friends Meeting, 2010 Chester Blvd. in Richmond.
Members also want voters to understand that every vote makes an impact. Wilkinson said some might not know that three votes decided a state senate election earlier this year.
“Every vote counts, particularly in state and local elections,” Wilkinson said.
Registration deadline
Voter registration for the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election ends Oct. 5.
Prospective voters, or existing voters wanting to verify their address and other information is current, can visit their county voter registration office or visit indianavoters.in.gov.
For more information, call 765-973-9304 or visit wwn.to/waynecovoters.
Voting begins Oct. 6
In-person absentee voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Wayne County Courthouse, 301 E. Main St., Richmond.
Wayne County’s election coordinators have placed a sample ballot listing all candidates for the entire county online at co.wayne.in.us/clerk/election/voters_candidates.html. Voters will only see the candidates on their ballots that they are eligible to vote for.
Public questions
Indiana voters will have two public questions. One involves whether suspects for crimes other than murder or treason should be denied bail if there’s a public safety concern and the proof is evident or the presumption is strong; the other asks whether the state constitution should be amended regarding residency for judges of city or town courts.
Judge retention
Voters will be asked questions about retaining three judges: Indiana Tax Court’s Justin McAdam and Indiana Court of Appeals’ Mary DeBoer and Paul Felix.
To help voters make informed decisions about those judges, Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Judicial Administration has created a website at courts.in.gov/retention.
Statewide debate
Hoosiers wanting to learn more about the five candidates running for Indiana’s secretary of state can watch a televised debate.
The debate will air from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, on most Indiana PBS stations, including Muncie-based Ball State PBS. Some stations will offer delayed broadcasts and/or rebroadcasts.
The candidates and their parties are: Greg Ballard, Lincoln Party; Beau Bayh, Democratic; Andrew Delano, National Socialist American Workers’ Party; Max Engling, Republican; and Lauri A. Shillings, Libertarian.
The nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit Indiana Debate Commission, which was founded in 2007, presents the event along with public broadcasting and media organizations across the state.
Absentee ballots
Qualifying Wayne County voters can begin requesting absentee ballots be mailed to them.
The deadline is Oct. 22 for Hoosiers to submit the ABS-MAIL form to request a ballot be mailed. They should contact their voter registration office for the required form by calling 765-973-9226, emailing voters@waynecounty.in.gov or downloading it at wwn.to/absballot.
Wayne County’s voter registration office is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays in the courthouse.
Hoosiers must meet one of 12 criteria to vote by mail, such as 65-plus, being confined for illness or injury, or caring for someone who is homebound.
A version of this article will appear in the September 30 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
