How do you vote in Indiana? When is the deadline? (Getty)
The Republican and Democrat primaries are happening today, May 3. Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote in the Indiana primary, including who’s eligible to vote, all the appropriate deadlines, how to find the right polling place, and who is on the ballot.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Who’s Eligible in Which Primary?
Indiana is an open primary. (Getty)
The rules about who is eligible to vote and in which primary can get a little confusing depending on which state you live in. Fortunately, Indiana is an open primary so its rules are much simpler than many states. You must have a photo ID in order to vote. A list of acceptable IDs is here. If you’re a college student not living in your home state, you can either vote in your home state or in Indiana.
Remember, you cannot wear items supporting a candidate or issue to the polling location. You also can’t bring election materials into a polling location or comment on another voter’s support of a candidate inside a polling location. If you’re wearing items in support of a candidate, you may be asked to take off the supporting item or turn your shirt inside-out before you can go inside and vote.
If you couldn’t make it to the polls on May 3, you may have been able to vote via absentee ballot. All registered voters were eligible to vote absentee-in-person in Indiana. Early in-person voting ended at noon on May 2, at your local circuit court clerk’s office. You could also vote absentee-by-mail; the deadline was April 25.
If you have any problems voting, call their Voter Fraud & Grievance number at 866-461-8683 or send a message at this link.
2. When Is the Deadline to Register?
The deadline for registering to vote in Indiana already passed. (Getty)
Some states allow same-day registration and others require you to register months in advance of the primary. In Indiana, the deadline to register to vote was Monday, April 4.
You can still register for the general election, though. You can register to vote online here, in person at your county voter registration office or Indiana Election Division, or by mailing it to your county voter registration office or Indiana Election Division. You can download a blank voter registration form to mail or drop off in person here.
You can also use this same registration to change your name or your address on your voter registration card.
To find out your current voter registration status, check here.
3. When Is the Deadline to Change Your Party Registration?
Lilyan Maitan stands in a voting booth during the Republican primary election in 2012. Indiana is an open primary. (Getty)
You’ve probably heard about states like New York and Arizona, where voters’ party affiliations were changed and they couldn’t vote in the primary. Indiana is an open primary. This means that as long as you’re registered to vote, you can vote on any party’s ballot on primary day. You’ll have to tell the polling place which party you want to vote with when you arrive to vote on May 3.
4. How to Find the Right Polling Place
Voters look for their district on a map for the Utah Republican caucuses in Provo, Utah. (Getty)
The primary election in Indiana is Tuesday, May 3. When you’re voting in the primary, you’ll have to make sure that you’re voting in the right location. You can find out which polling place you should vote at by visiting this website and filling in your name, county, and date of birth.
5. Who’s on the Ballot & Who’s Still in the Race?
A poster for the South Carolina Republican presidential primary sits on a table at American Legion Post 79, showing who was no longer running. (Getty)
Sometimes candidates who dropped out of the race may still actually be on the ballot. Here’s who you can expect to see on the ballot in Indiana.
For the Democratic party, you’ll see Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
On the Republican ticket, you’ll see Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Donald Trump (as reported in February.) But remember, only Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and John Kasich are still running.
Indiana is expected to have 92 Democratic delegates for 2016. Of these, 83 are pledged and allocated proportionally. Candidates get a share of pledged delegates if they get at least 15 percent of the vote.
Republicans are expected to have 57 delegates from Indiana. Out of these, 27 are pledged district-level, allocated on a winner-take-all basis. Another 27 are at-large delegates, also allocated on a winner-take-all basis based on the statewide vote. There are also three national party leaders who are bound.