Decision 2023: Key dates to make sure your vote counts (2024)

INDIANAPOLIS — In November, voters across Indiana will elect a host of new mayors and city councilors, as well as a number of other municipal office holders. Several areas also have school referendums on the ballot.

The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 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 general election and are not yet registered to vote in Indiana, the deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 10.

The deadline to hand-deliver an application to or apply in-person at your county election office is close of business on Tuesday.

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 Oct. 10 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 https://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 voting for the 2023 general election is available from Wednesday, Oct. 11 through noon on Monday, Nov. 6.

Also, all counties must provide Saturday times for voting the last two Saturdays before the election: Oct. 28 and Nov. 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:

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.

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.

Absentee voting by mail

The deadline to apply to vote absentee by mail is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26.

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 Oct. 26. 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 for the 2023 general election.

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:

For applications sent by email, a scanned image or a photograph of the voter’s identification will be accepted.

OR

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 to request an application be mailed to you, 317-232-3939.

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:

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, Nov. 7, in order for your vote to count. This does not apply to an absentee ballot mailed by an overseas voter.

Absentee voting by travel board

Oct. 19 is the first day to request a traveling board to visit your location.

Applications must be submitted by noon on Nov. 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 boardis available to people who meet one of these qualifications:

There is an important change to this process for the 2023 general election.

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.

You can also call the Indiana Election Division at 317-232-3939 to request an application be mailed to you.

Voting on Election Day

Polls will be open on Tuesday, Nov. 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 of the 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.

This is a municipal election, so there are no statewide or federal races on the ballot.

Voters will consider who to elect for positions like mayor, clerk-treasurer and council member.

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. A couple of towns have questions about changing the number of members on the local council.