Ongoing meetings Most Sunday mornings the Progressive Coffee Caucus meets at The Coffee Beanery, 425 West Route 30, in Dyer at 11 a.m. The Coffee Caucus is for progressives of every persuasion, not just Democrats. And the caucus is proud to be a member of Our Revolution. Learn more at https://progcofffecaucus.wixsite.com/progcoffeecaucus
Upcoming Deadlines February 9 at noon--candidate forms due. File to run for --Delegate to the Indiana Democratic Party's 2018 "Big Dem Weekend." On June 15-16 you can represent Democrats from your voting precinct at the party's convention in Indianapolis. You'll meet other delegates from Lake County and all around the state. You'll vote on the party's business affairs.
--Precinct committee-person Being a precinct committee-person is less glamorous than being a state delegate, but it's an important job. Precinct committee-people communicate with the voters in their precincts. They communicate what the voters tell them to the county Democratic organization. Also, if an elected official is unable to complete his or her term, precinct committee-people have the honor of electing his or her successor until the next general election.
--Can't decide? You can be both!
Precinct committee-person and state delegate are both elected positions. "Running" for them is easy. Complete a CAN-37 form (link below) and submit it to the Lake County Board of Elections between January 10 and noon on February 9, 2018.
In many cases, that's all you need to do.
The CAN-37 form is your application to be a candidate for either position. Maybe you'll have an opponent. If you do, both of your names will appear on the primary election ballot. In fact, many precincts don't have elected delegates or committee-people. If you don't have an opponent, you'll be automatically elected. Your name won't even appear on the primary ballot.
Two things to remember: First, CAN-37 forms must be notarized. If you take in your forms in person, the Board of Elections can notarize them on the spot, but if you plan to mail them in, please allow time to get to a notary.
Second, if you decide to run for both positions, you must submit one CAN-37 form for each position.
You can find a complete explanation and a CAN-37 form here. If you need more info, visit Lake County's Board of Elections at 2293 N Main St # A205, in Crown Point, or call them at (219) 755-3467.
Better yet, drop in at the Progressive Coffee Caucus. Plenty of members are already committee-people and state delegates. They'd appreciate an opportunity to help you get started in your political career.
Primary Elections
Up to April 9--register to vote. If you have an Indiana drivers' license or identification card and you speak English you can register to vote at https://indianavoters.in.gov/
There's a Spanish-language form available at the county board of elections. Using the same link, it's prudent to check your voter registration before registration closes. Rarely, active voters are removed from the voter lists. If you don't find your name online, don't panic. The computer may have you listed under another version of your name. The best thing to do is to call the county board of elections. If you want to vote in the primaries, do this before April 9.
April 10--"Early voting" for primary elections begins. Technically, what most people call "early voting" the Board of Elections calls "absentee voting." Whatever you call it, it's super-convenient to drop in at your early/absentee voting location while you're out running errands in the neighborhood. The Board of Elections hasn't posted the early voting locations and hours yet, but when they do, it'll be at https://www.lakecountyin.org/portal/media-type/html/group/voters/page/default.psml/js_pane/P-13b9cba7c46-107df
May 8--Primary election day. If you haven't taken advantage of your opportunity to vote early, you can visit the polls from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find your polling place at the link above.
Two groups of people are surprised to learn that they can register to vote.
Youth--if a young person is 17 during the primaries, but will be 18 before the general election on November 6, that young person may vote in the primaries. He or she must register before the end of April 9. Please see above.
Ex-offenders--In Indiana, having been incarcerated does NOT prevent a person from voting. As long as the person has been out of the correctional facility for 30 days, he or she may vote. He or she must register before the end of April 9. Please see above.