Voting in Indiana
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Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[2]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
Voter registration
To register to vote in Indiana, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old by the next general or municipal election, have resided in the precinct at least 30 days preceding the next election, and not be imprisoned for the conviction of a crime. Proof of residence is required to register.[3] Registration can be completed online, by mail, or in person.[4] The deadline to register to vote is 29 days before the next election.[5] Click here to view registration deadlines for upcoming elections.
Prospective voters can register in person at the following locations:
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Automatic registration
Indiana does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Indiana has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Indiana does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
Indiana law requires 30 days of residency in a precinct before a person may vote.
Verification of citizenship
Indiana does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Verifying your registration
The Indiana Secretary of State website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Indiana requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[8]
Photo ID must meet the following criteria:
- Includes photo of voter
- Includes name that conforms to voter registration record
- Includes expiration date that is either current or expired after the last general election
- Note: "An ID issued by the US Department of Defense, a branch of the uniformed services, the Merchant Marine, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or Veterans Administration), or the Indiana National Guard is not required to have an expiration date, or may state that the document has an 'Indefinite' expiration date."[8]
- Is issued by the state of Indiana or the U.S. government.[8]
If a voter does not have an accepted form of ID, he or she can obtain a free Indiana ID card from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.[9]
Voters who are "indigent, those with a religious objection to being photographed, and those living in state-licensed facilities that serve as their precinct's polling place" can claim an exemption from the photo ID law. If the voter is claiming an exemption based on indigence or a religious objection, the voter can cast a provisional ballot on Election Day and then visit the county election office within 10 days to claim the exemption. The voter can also vote absentee-in-person at the county election office. Voters who are residents at a state-licensed facility can claim the exemption at the polls on Election Day.[10]
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[11][12]
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In Indiana, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time on the date of an election. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[13]
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Indiana
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Indiana utilizes an open primary system. Voters are not required to register with a party, but state statutes stipulate that citizens vote in the primary of the party they have voted for most often in the past. According to FairVote, however, "there is really no way to enforce this," and primaries are effectively open.[14][15]
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
An individual is eligible to vote absentee by mail in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on the day of an election for one of the following reasons:[16][17]
- The voter has "a specific, reasonable expectation" that he or she will be absent from his or her home county on Election Day during the entire voting period.
- The voter is disabled.
- The voter is 65 years of age or older.
- The voter will be responsible for official election duties outside of his or her voting precinct.
- The voter is scheduled to work during the entire voting period.
- The voter will "be confined due to illness or injury" or "will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury" during the entire voting period.
- The voter is prevented from voting during the regular voting period due to religious reasons.
- The voter is a participant in the state's address confidentiality program.
- The voter is a military service member or public safety officer.
- The voter is a "serious sex offender" as defined in Indiana Code 35-42-4-14(a).
- The voter is prevented from voting due to the unavailability of transportation to the polls.
To vote absentee, a request must be received at least eight days prior to the election. The ballot must then be returned by close of polls on Election Day.[16][18][17]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Indiana permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[19] Indiana refers to early voting as voting absentee-in-person.[17]
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In Indiana, those convicted of a felony offense regain their voting rights automatically upon completion of their prison sentence. Persons on parole, probation, or with outstanding fines are eligible to vote.[20]
Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[21][22]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[23]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Indiana can contact the following state and federal agencies.
Indiana Secretary of State, Election Division
- 302 West Washington Street, Room E-204
- Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
- Telephone: 317-232-3939
- Email: elections@iec.in.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measure(s) relating to election and campaign policy in Indiana.
- Indiana Governor and Lieutenant Governor Joint Campaign, Amendment 2 (1974)
- Indiana Protect Right to Vote Act, Public Question 1 (1998)
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Indiana state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Indiana voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in Indiana
- Indiana elections, 2018
- Indiana elections, 2017
- Indiana elections, 2016
- Indiana elections, 2015
- Indiana elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs - Smart Politics, "Which States Have the Longest and Shortest Election Day Voting Hours?" July 10, 2014
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "Indiana Voter Registration Application," accessed December 1, 2019
- ↑ Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed December 1, 2019
- ↑ Secretary of State, "2019 Indiana Voter Registration Guidebook," accessed December 1, 2019 (page 10)
- ↑ Secretary of State, "2019 Indiana Voter Registration Guidebook," accessed December 1, 2019 (page 9)
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Indiana Secretary of State, "Photo ID Law," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Obtaining a Photo ID," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Exemptions," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Election Day HQ," accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ Indiana Code, "Section 3-10-1-6," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Indiana Election Division, "Absentee Voting," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Indiana Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed September 28, 2019
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "The Absentee Voter's Bill of Rights," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ In.gov, "Voter Registration," accessed October 19, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
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