> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://bsquarebulletin.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Monroe County election board: 1,075 absentee ballots issued as registration deadline looms - URL: https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-election-board-1-075-absentee-ballots-issued-as-registration-deadline-looms/ - Published: 2026-09-26T13:36:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-26T14:36:47.000Z - Description: Monroe County election officials reported 1,075 absentee ballots issued as the Nov. 3 election approaches. Voter registration closes Oct. 5, with early voting starting Oct. 6. A Sept. 30 town hall will be held for Ellettsville–Richland voters on the proposed government reorganization. - Author: Dave Askins - Tags: Local Government, #no-inline-feature ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/09/combined-bunting-outline-banners-just-monroe-boundary-on-transparent-background-1--2--1-1.png) With the Nov. 3 general election drawing closer, Monroe County election officials reported Thursday (Sept. 24) that 1,075 absentee ballots had been issued through the previous day. Election Day is a little more than five weeks away, but early voting starts in 10 days, on Oct. 6. Election supervisor Kylie Farris told the Monroe County election board at a special meeting on Thursday that the total absentee ballots included 822 mail applications and 253 online applications. She said election workers were preparing additional ballots for mailing later on Thursday. The first batch went out Saturday, Sept. 19\. Turnout is expected to be high, according to the county election division. In 2022, the most recent mid-term election, about 40,000 total ballots were cast. Farris reported 90,350 registered voters in Monroe County—76,029 listed as active and 14,321 as inactive. Another 554 registrations were pending and 18 were incomplete. The “inactive” designation does not have an impact on a voter’s eligibility to vote. Showing up to early voting or on Election Day will automatically reset the voter’s status to active without an additional step required before voting. Inactive status can stem from election-related mail getting repeatedly returned as undeliverable, including through the state’s periodic voter-list maintenance process. Registration status and a voter’s current address in the system can be checked through Indiana’s [online voter portal](https://indianavoters.in.gov/). Farris said on Thursday voters can update their information online, by mail or by visiting [Election Central](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cXy4sgHJMqryEP1b7) on Morton Street. The [deadline](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-Calendar-Brochure%5FFINAL-VERSION.pdf) to register or update a registration for the Nov. 3 general election is Monday, Oct. 5\. That’s a day ahead of the start of in-person early voting on Oct. 6\. Voters who want an absentee ballot mailed to them have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, to get their application to election officials. Absentee ballots can be requested through Indiana’s [online voter portal](https://indianavoters.in.gov/). Thursday’s election board meeting also highlighted a lingering problem with state-issued election forms. Githens noted that the state’s absentee-mail ballot application still lists Election Central’s former address on West 7th Street. Farris noted that the correct location is [501 N. Morton St.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cXy4sgHJMqryEP1b7) She said Monroe County notified the Indiana Election Division of the move months ago, before this year’s primary election. The state has not yet updated the current address in the myriad places where it appears on state forms, Farris said. Mail forwarding remains in place, she said, so material sent to the former address should still reach her office. On Thursday, the board also approved a resolution appointing absentee voter board workers. The resolution also allows county clerk Nicole Browne to add workers as needed before training, which is scheduled for Oct. 1\. The delegation of authority to the clerk is intended to avoid requiring another special election board meeting just to approve additional appointments. In another administrative update, Farris said [campaign-finance and candidate-filing documents](https://www.in.gov/counties/monroe/Departments/clerk-of-court/candidate-filings/) had temporarily been removed from the county website. That came after some website visitors complained about getting prompted to log into Microsoft accounts to see the files. Staff also encountered performance problems as more documents were added. Farris said the documents are being reorganized, but there is not yet a timeline for completion of the work. ### Ellettsville–Richland voters can learn more Sept. 30 One question appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot will ask voters in Ellettsville and Richland Township whether the two governments should [reorganize as a single political subdivision](https://bsquarebulletin.com/ellettsville-richland-reorganization-headed-to-november-ballot/). Under the proposal, Richland Township government would be dissolved into a reorganized Town of Ellettsville governed by a seven-member council. The proposal has to receive majority support both inside the current town and in the township for the reorganization to take effect. The League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County will host an informational town hall from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Ellettsville branch of Monroe County Public Library’s Ellettsville branch. Panelists will be James Perry and Justin Ross of Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and IU Maurer School of Law student Colby Wicker. Organizers are describing the event as an informational session, not a debate. Questions can be submitted in advance to [league@lwv-bmc.org](mailto:league@lwv-bmc.org). Documents and other information about the proposed reorganization are available on a [website](https://ellettsvillerichlandinfo.org/ ) that has been set up on the topic.