Indiana | Voting Guide
Voting Guide
Indiana
Registration Deadlines and Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline: 29 days before Election Day. Mail-in voter registration must be postmarked 29 days before Election Day.
2020
General Election Registration Deadline: October 5
General Election: November 3
Official Election Websites
More election information at https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/index.htm
Online and PDF voter registration available at www.indianavoters.com
Register at School or Home
Students have a choice about where to register to vote.
Students attending college may register at their campus address or choose to remain registered or register at their permanent or home address.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?
Indiana’s voter registration form asks for your Indiana driver’s license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?
All voters must show photo ID. The ID must:
Display your photo
Display your name, and the name must conform to your voter registration record
Display an expiration date and either be current or have expired sometime after the date of the last general election, unless the ID was issued by the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Indiana National Guard (November 6, 2018)
Be issued by the Indiana or United States government
A student ID from an Indiana state college or university may only be used if it meets all four criteria specified above. A student ID from a private college or university may not be used for voting purposes.
Exemptions are available for indigent people, people with a religious objection to being photographed, people living in a state-licensed facility that is also their polling place, and people who vote absentee by mail.
Find more information about Indiana’s voter ID requirements at https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/2401.htm.
Where Do I Vote?
Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at: https://indianavoters.in.gov/
How Can I Vote?
By Mail
Indiana voters may vote by mail if they:
Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 a.m. until 6 p.m.);
Have a disability;
Are at least 65 years old;
Will have official election duties outside their voting precinct;
Are scheduled to work at their regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open;
Will be confined due to illness or injury or will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open;
Have a religious obligation during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open;
Are a participant in the state’s address confidentiality program;
Are a member of the military or a public safety officer;
Are a “serious sex offender”; or
Are unable to access transportation to the polls.
Applications to request a mail-in absentee ballot must be received by 11:59 p.m. on the 12th day before Election Day. You can request an absentee ballot through your voter portal at https://indianavoters.in.gov/. Downloadable forms are also available under “Resources” at https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/2402.htm.
Your completed absentee ballot by mail must be received by 12 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots postmarked on or before Election Day will not be counted if they are not received by the deadline.
Early In-person
All registered voters in Indiana are eligible to vote early in-person at the county election board office beginning 28 days before Election Day, until 12:00 p.m. on the day before Election Day.
Find your county election board office at https://indianavoters.in.gov/CountyContact/Index.You can check your county’s early voting locations, dates, and hours in your Voter Portal at https://indianavoters.in.gov/.
Election Day
Voting sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time, then you have a right to vote.
Common Questions/Concerns
Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:
Federal Financial Aid
Where you register to vote won’t affect federal financial aid like Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA
Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
Tuition Status
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.
Will registering to vote in Indiana affect my driver’s license or car registration?
As a full-time student in Indiana, you may be required to update your driver’s license or car registration, regardless of whether you register to vote in Indiana. For more information, you may wish to contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein is used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Indiana legal professional.
Last updated September 2020
