Tippecanoe County election board certifies primary after panel disqualifies dozens of absentee and provisional ballots

The Tippecanoe County Election Board on Monday re-examined absentee and provisional ballots and moved to certify the 2026 primary after disqualifying multiple late or defective ballots and counting four affidavits and one provisional ballot.

Elections staff member Germany told the board they had received 25 absentee ballots by mail after the May 5, 6 p.m., deadline and recommended those ballots not be counted. Germany also reported two envelopes lacking voter signatures and three absentee ballots with mismatched signatures for which no valid affidavits or cures had been returned. "We extensively go through the ballot signature, the application signatures, and indeed the entire signature history of the voter to ascertain the likeness," Germany said.

Following discussion, the board voted to disqualify the 25 late absentee ballots and to disqualify the three mismatched-signature absentee ballots and two nonsigned absentee envelopes. The board also voted not to count two affidavits that were returned late and one ballot where staff concluded the affidavit signature did not match the voter's signature history and appeared to be signed by another household member.

The board accepted staff recommendations to count three absentee affidavits that were returned on time with matching signatures and separately approved an additional set of affidavits the board had not recorded earlier. After the readoption of actions for a clear record, Julie, the staff member reporting the tally, said the office counted a total of four absentee affidavits during the meeting and one provisional ballot that had been verified after a registration clerical error.

Elections specialist Mike summarized unofficial statistics for the primary, saying the office recorded a snapshot of 17,958 voters at 6 a.m. on election day and estimating a 15.4% turnout for the county primary. Mike described early voting as roughly 40% of the total and provided a site-by-site breakdown, noting the Fairgrounds location was the busiest.

Staff also flagged operational issues for follow-up: one voting machine briefly displayed an incorrect election date during setup but was corrected before voters used it, and the office noted wear on encoder devices and charging cables that may require replacement. The preliminary estimated cost of running this election was about $91,000, staff said.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to disqualify 25 late absentee ballots (mover: Chair; second: Committee member): approved.
- Motion to disqualify three mismatched-signature absentee ballots: approved.
- Motion to disqualify two nonsigned absentee envelopes: approved.
- Motion not to count two late affidavits and one ballot with a signature discrepancy: approved.
- Motion to count three timely affidavits (and, after procedural correction, a total of four affidavits and one provisional ballot): approved.

The board instructed staff to prepare the certification forms (CEB-9) and said printed materials and the election summary report would be made available to the public in the next several days. Staff also noted they are preparing for a possible recount in State Senate District 23, where the margin was close; no formal recount request had been filed at the time of the meeting.

Public comments during the meeting raised logistical concerns at polling locations. Frank Cannon urged more durable directional signage at the Tippecanoe Fairgrounds to help elderly and disabled voters find the correct entrance; Germany and other staff acknowledged the concern and said they will work on improved signs. Commenters also raised inconsistent enforcement of the 50-foot campaign-free zone at one polling site; staff said poll workers are given rope and chalk to mark the boundary and acknowledged site-to-site variation in enforcement.

The board adjourned after completing votes and instructing staff to finish certification paperwork.