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Election board authorizes possible cancellation of 111 incomplete voter registrations
Summary
The St. Joseph County Election Board voted to allow staff to cancel 111 voter registrations that remain incomplete unless the missing information is provided within 10 days before the election; officials said they will re-check records before any cancellation.
The St. Joseph County Election Board voted to permit staff to cancel 111 voter registrations that remain incomplete, a move board members said is aimed at removing records that lack necessary application information before ballots are cast.
Speaker 7, who requested the authorization, said the incomplete records were largely missing required VRG‑412 details and that the office has made repeated attempts to reach registrants. "I need permission, 10 days before the election that if I can't get these 111 people rectified to cancel them, unfortunately," Speaker 7 said during the meeting.
The board debated what would happen if a person whose registration was canceled attempted to vote. Speaker 3 asked whether such a person could cast a provisional ballot; Speaker 5 and others confirmed provisional voting remains an option but that canceled registrations may not be counted if required information is missing.
Speaker 5 moved that the board grant authority to cancel the listed registrations 10 days before the election if they remain unresolved; the motion was seconded and the board carried the measure by voice vote. The transcript does not include a roll-call tally; the record indicates one explicit "Aye" from Speaker 6 and a chair statement that the "motion carries." The board instructed staff to double-check each record before any cancellation and to provide registrants with notice where possible.
The board also discussed the administrative burden of contacting people whose records are incomplete and described efforts to locate returned mail and call logs. Speaker 7 said staff have pursued multiple attempts and will continue outreach before executing any cancellations.
Next steps: staff will finalize the list of incomplete registrations, make a final contact effort, and proceed with cancellations only where required information remains missing. The board did not change state form requirements and noted the VRG‑412 and other state forms cannot be altered locally.
