FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indiana Democratic Party
Contact: Sam Barloga, 219-671-8662
February 4, 2025
Republican Supermajority Moves to Cut in Half Early Voting Window, Restrict College Students From Voting on Campus
INDIANAPOLIS – A number of bills threatening Hoosier democracy are moving through the legislature due to the Republican supermajority’s efforts to restrict the ability for Hoosiers to cast their ballot.
“In moving to axe Indiana’s popular early voting window, Republicans have shown once again that they don’t really want people to vote or care about our state’s abysmal voter participation rates,” said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl. “Just last year, places across Indiana had long lines as people waited to cast their ballots. More people voting should be the goal – not restricting it even further. And it doesn’t stop there. The Republican supermajority wants to restrict your right to vote in primary elections as you choose, and make school board elections partisan in Indiana.
“Partisan politics don’t belong in our nonpartisan school boards. With one of the lowest civic participation rates nationally, we should be moving to expand polling hours to 7 PM and provide more early voting locations in populated areas. Instead, the legislature is only aiming to make it harder for thousands of Hoosiers to cast their ballots going forward. It’s undemocratic.”
Senate Bill 284 would halve the availability of early voting in Indiana from 28 days to 14 days. Both bills passed out of their respective committees, and Democratic amendments to provide more polling locations and better Election Day hours have been voted down by Republicans. The bill would have originally restricted early voting to just seven days – despite long lines to vote early throughout the month. It now goes to the full Senate for further consideration.
Senate Bill 10 would ban the ability for college students to vote from their home on-campus, or use their state-issued, student ID to be able to vote. Students in Indiana currently have the ability to choose whether to register at their family home or at their home on campus. Many Hoosier students live as far as 5 hours away from their childhood home in Indiana, and the ability to vote from campus helps more Hoosiers make their voices heard. It is also with the full Senate for consideration.
Senate Bill 201 would institute closed primaries in Indiana, and force Hoosiers to register with one of the two major parties nearly six months in advance of the primary election in order to participate in the contest. This is much different from the currently-open system that allows Hoosiers to pick their primary affiliation when they show up to the polls.
Senate Bill 287 would require all school board candidates in Indiana to register with a political party – ending the decades-long standard of nonpartisan school board elections in Indiana. Nearly all testimony to the bill was negative, and it was held to testimony only in committee on Monday.
