INDIANAPOLIS — In May, voters across Indiana will select nominees for some of the most high-profile political offices including governor, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, as well as state senators and representatives. Voters will also have the presidential primary on their ballot. In many counties, voters will also see races for judges, court clerks, town councilors and party convention delegates.
The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7.
Below is information voters will need to know in order to make their vote count.
Voter registration
If you want to vote in the primary election and are not yet registered to vote in Indiana, the deadline is Monday, April 8.
You have until 11:59 p.m. if you register to vote using the online application.
The deadline to hand-deliver an application to or apply in person at your county election office is close of business on Monday.
The deadline to hand-deliver an application to the Indiana Election Division at the Secretary of State’s Office is 5 p.m., which is the close of business in that office.
You can also mail in a paper application. The envelope must be postmarked by April 8, but may arrive at the voter registration office after that date.
If you are hand-delivering or mailing an application, you can download the application here, or you can pick up a copy at your local library branch.
You can apply in person at the BMV branch if you are completing certain transactions, like getting a driver’s license, permit or identification card.
You will find the voter registration application, along with details about who can vote in Indiana, on the state’s voter registration page. Note that some military and overseas voters have different registration dates.
Check your voting status
If you are registered to vote in Indiana, you can check that you are still active on the voting lists.
Go to indianavoters.in.gov and click "Check Voting Status." You will need to provide basic information to get to your record. There, you can see if your voting status is listed as active.
Early voting in-person
Indiana allows early, in-person voting for all registered voters for 28 days before the election. This is known as in-person absentee voting.
Early in-person voting for the 2024 primary election is available from Tuesday, April 9 through noon on Monday, May 6.
Also, all counties must provide Saturday times for voting the last two Saturdays before the election: April 27 and May 4.
Early voting hours and locations vary by county. Click here to find your county clerk or election office for specifics.
You do not need to sign up ahead of time to vote early, and you do not need to provide a specific reason why you are voting early.
To vote, you will need to show an ID that meets the following requirements:
- Displays the voter’s photo.
- Displays the voter’s name, which must conform to the voter registration record. It does not need to be identical to the voter registration record.
- Displays an expiration date and either be current or have expired some time after the date of the last general election, which was held Nov. 8, 2022.
- Be issued by the State of Indiana or the U.S. government.
The Secretary of State’s Office notes, in most cases, an Indiana driver’s license, an Indiana photo ID card, a military ID or U.S. passport will meet the requirements.
A student ID from an Indiana state school can be used if it meets all four of the above criteria. A student ID from a private institution can not be used for voting purposes. Click here for additional information about college students registering and voting.
If you decline to present an ID or a member of the election board determines that your ID does not qualify, you will be challenged and you must be offered a provisional ballot. As part of that procedure, you must present a valid ID that meets the requirements above by noon 10 days after the election. Exemptions do exist for people who are indigent, who have a religious objection to being photographed, or who live in state-licensed facilities where the polling place is located.
Absentee voting by mail
The deadline to apply to vote absentee by mail is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 25.
Applications may be submitted online, hand-delivered, faxed, mailed or emailed.
If you send an application by mail, it must reach the election office by April 25. Even if an application is postmarked before that date but does not reach the office by that date, it will not be processed.
There is an important change to this process that began during the 2023 general election.
During the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers enacted new requirements for the absentee voting by mail application. An absentee voter must provide either a copy of a government-issued photo ID or a voter identification number.
The specific details are described below:
- A voter must provide a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID that complies with the state’s photo ID law, such as a driver’s license, BMV identification card, military ID or passport.
For applications sent by email, a scanned image or a photograph of the voter’s identification will be accepted.
OR
- A voter must provide at least one of the following numbers. However, the Secretary of State’s Office recommends providing more than one number since at least one will have to match the voter’s registration record. If the number does not match the voter record, it will need to match a record in the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles or U.S. Social Security Administration databases:
- Indiana driver’s license number
- Indiana identification card number
- Unique voter identification number
- Last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number
To apply online for absentee voting by mail, go to the state’s voter portal and click "Visit My Voter Portal."
To print the application and submit it another way, go to the state’s voter portal and scroll down to the Absentee Ballot Forms section.
You can print the application from that portal to mail, email or hand-deliver it. Addresses are listed on the back of the application form.
You can also call the Indiana Election Division at 317-232-3939 to request an application be mailed to you.
RELATED: Indiana Legislature approves bill that adds additional verification steps to voter registration
If you want to email your completed application, send a photograph or scan of the signed document to elections@iec.in.gov or to your county election official.
In order to vote absentee by mail, you must be able to personally mark your ballot and sign your name. However, a voter with disabilities may request that another person sign their name.
You also need to declare one of the following specific reasons why you will not be able to vote on Election Day:
- You have a specific, reasonable expectation that you will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open, 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.
- You have a disability.
- You are at least 65 years of age.
- You will have official election duties outside of your voting precinct.
- You are scheduled to work at your regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
- You will be confined due to illness or injury or you will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
- You are prevented from voting because of a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
- You are a participant in the state's address confidentiality program.
- You are a member of the military or a public safety officer.
- You are a "serious sex offender" as defined in Indiana Code 35-42-4-14(a).
- You are prevented from voting due to the unavailability of transportation to the polls.
Once you have been approved to vote absentee by mail, you will receive a ballot in the mail, along with an addressed envelope in which to return the ballot. You can then fill out the ballot and mail it back or return it in-person.
Your county election board must receive the ballot by 6 p.m. on Election Day, May 7, in order for your vote to count. This does not apply to an absentee ballot mailed by an overseas voter.
Additional details and information about absentee voting by mail can be found online through the Indiana Election Division.
Absentee voting by travel board
April 18 is the first day to request a traveling board to visit your location.
Applications must be submitted by noon on May 6. Even if an application is postmarked before that date but does not reach the office by that date, it will not be processed.
Appointments may be limited, so you are encouraged to apply early if this is your best option.
The travel board is available to people who meet one of these qualifications:
- You expect to be confined, due to illness or injury, or you expect to be caring for a confined person at a private residence on Election Day.
- You are a voter with disabilities and believe your polling place is not accessible to you.
- You are physically unable to complete the ballot and sign the affidavit on your own.
There is an important change to this process that started with the 2023 general election.
During the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers enacted new requirements for the absentee voting application.
See details about the requirements in the “Absentee voting by mail” section above.
In general, during the application process, a voter must provide either a photocopy of a government-issued identification that complies with the state’s photo ID law or at least one voter identification number.
To apply to vote by travel board, go the state’s voter portal and scroll down to the "Traveling Board" section for the application.
To apply by mail or hand-delivery, print the application and return it to the appropriate address on the back of the application form.
The application can be printed from the state’s voter portal.
You can also call the Indiana Election Division at 317-232-3939 to request an application be mailed to you.
You can also email your completed application to the state election office at elections@iec.in.gov or to your county election official.
Voting on Election Day
Polls will be open on Tuesday, May 7 from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time.
If you are in line by 6 p.m., you will be permitted to vote.
To find the locations where you can vote, go to indianavoters.in.gov. Then, click on "Voting Location."
Many counties no longer require you to go a specific precinct location and instead allow you to select from any voting centers in the county.
Who and what is on the ballot?
To see a sample of what your ballot will look like, you can check with your county clerk’s office.
You may also find that information here. Click the "Who’s on the Ballot" option.
Voters will consider who to elect for positions like U.S. President, Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, state senator and representative, county clerk, county judge or town council.
Some ballots may also include referendums, also called public questions, where voters will need to vote "yes" or "no." These involve questions about spending tax money for school construction or operating expenses.
Click here to see a list of school-related public questions that will be on ballots for the May 7 election.