Local voters receiving unsolicited mail-in ballot applications

The phones at the county election board are ringing off the hook.

That's because voters across the county are receiving unsolicited absentee ballot applications.

County election board are ringing off the hook.

That's because voters across the county are receiving unsolicitied absentee ballot applications.

News 18's joe paul joins us in the studio to discuss how the election board is handlng the issue.

Tippecanoe county clerk julie roush tells me they began receiving calls on friday.

She says the applications are coming from the state democratic and republican parties.

"i come home the other day and i see i have an indiana absentee ballot request form and it says immediate attention required, and i never requested this."

Toni lear is one of many tippecanoe county voters receiving unsolicited mail-in voting applications.

"after i called the election board and they said they're legit, i turned around and, knowing that i'm going to vote in person, tore it all up and threw it away."

Lear pieced the puzzle back together to show where the application came from: the indiana republican state committee.

But it's not the only political party sending absentee voting applications to people across the state.

"both parties, the democrat party and the republican party apparently have both sent out mail-in ballot applications to residents that they did not ask for it.

A lot of people are calling, they're very concerned, they don't undetand and some people have already submitted one."

Tippecanoe county clerk julie roush says the applications aren't illegal or illegimate.

But they're causing confusion among local voters.

"this did not come from us and if you've already submitted an application do not send this one in because we've already filed it, it's done, it's processed."

It's not uncommon for the election board to receive duplicate applications.

But nonstop calls have been adding to the headache.

"i've seen up to five times that people had applied, but again, we do have a stop, we put it in the system, we see it."

For lear, the extra step of shredding the application seemed necessary.

"i'm just really concerned about this.

I know they say it's slim to none with voter fraud, but it is 2020, so who knows what's going to happen this year."

The election board's computer system rejects duplicate applications.

Roush tells me the easiest way to apply for a mail-in ballot is online.

You can find a link on our website, wlfi.com.

The indiana state department of health is announced changes to how they will gather information