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Indiana
Voting Guide
Registration Deadlines and Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline: 29 days before Election Day.
Voter registration forms submitted by mail must be postmarked at least 29 days before Election Day.
2022
Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline (paper application): April 4
Primary Election: May 3
General Election Voter Registration Deadline (paper application): October 11
General Election: November 8
Register at School or Home
Students have a decision about where to register to vote.
You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?
Indiana’s online voter registration portal asks for your Indiana driver’s license or ID number. Indiana's paper voter registration form asks for your Indiana driver’s license or ID number, or the last 4 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 to cast a ballot. 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 (November 3, 2020)
Be issued by the Indiana or United States government
Alternatively, voters may use an ID issued by the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indiana National Guard, or a federally recognized Native American tribe or band that does not have an expiration date.
A student ID from a public 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 indigency, 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, visit: https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/photo-id-law/.
How Can I Vote?
By Mail
Indiana requires an excuse to vote by mail. Qualifying excuses include:
A specific, reasonable expectation that the voter will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 am until 6 pm)
The voter has a disability
The voter is scheduled to work at the voter’s regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open
For a full list of qualifying excuses, visit: https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/ways-to-vote/absentee-voting/.
Applications to request a mail-in absentee ballot must be received by 11:59 p.m. on the 12th day before Election Day. Voters can request an absentee ballot through the voter portal at: https://indianavoters.in.gov/
Downloadable forms are also available “Resources” at: https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/ways-to-vote/absentee-voting/.
Printed request forms can be submitted by mail, email, or fax or in person.
Completed absentee ballots by mail can be returned by mail or in-person and must be received by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day.
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.
Check your county’s early voting locations, dates, and hours 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 June 2022