GREENFIELD — Indiana’s secretary of state visited Hancock County’s clerk recently to talk about elections ahead of next year’s contests as well as other duties both leaders are responsible for.
The stop was part of Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan’s statewide listening tour to meet with local election officials in all 92 counties.
Sullivan, whom Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed to her position in March, spoke with Hancock County Clerk Lisa Lofgreen about the 2020 elections, which included challenges brought on the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as using the 2021 off-year as a runway to prepare for the 2022 campaigns.
“Being new in this position and knowing that there aren’t elections in ‘21 for our clerks to run gives us the opportunity to really take a deep dive into the election process that’s currently in place,” Sullivan said. She added the pause provides a chance for her and county clerks’ offices to develop a collaborative relationship and messaging to Indiana residents in an effort to increase voter confidence.
Lofgreen commended Sullivan on her statewide tour, which the secretary is about halfway through.
“She’s trying to get around to every clerk’s office and get input from clerks all over the state about elections and how they’re run, and I think that should serve us all well next year,” Lofgreen said.
The two officials also talked about how the secretary of state’s office can help the clerk’s office with technical issues, changes to the state’s court record system and assistance with ensuring voters are in the correct precincts after the once-a-decade redistricting that’s underway.
Another topic of discussion was voter list maintenance, which entails keeping the county’s list of voters up to date in light of deaths and people moving in and out of the county.
“It’s a huge undertaking,” Lofgreen said, adding it’s done every other year, but especially during a year with no scheduled contests.
Sullivan recalled how her office recently sent over 4.4 million postcards to registered voters with their voter information for review, along with instructions on how to go about correcting any incorrect information.
Sullivan encouraged eligible Indiana residents to register to vote if they haven’t. Applications can be started at indianavoters.com, and the site can also be accessed for Hoosiers to confirm whether they are registered.
The voter registration deadline for participating in the 2022 primary is April 4, 2022.
Lofgreen and Sullivan said Hancock County and the state are well-equipped to provide secure elections.
“You have a great clerk, a very knowledgeable staff, a very successful track record in your county as well as in the state of Indiana on election security, integrity and transparency, and I think that’s only going to get better,” Sullivan said.
