Indiana Bar Foundation Civic Index ranks Indiana 50 of 51 for voter turnout

INDIANAPOLIS — With less than a month to go before early voting starts in Indiana, Monday marked the first day back for many longtime seasonal poll workers at the Marion County Clerk’s Office, one of many county offices statewide hoping to change Indiana’s historically low turnout rates.

According to Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell, her office is working on an online feature that would help voters check how long of a wait time they could expect at each voting center.

“That is a work in progress, and I hope we’ll be able to announce that we’re doing that this election,” Bell said.

This comes as the latest Indiana Bar Foundation Civic Index ranked Indiana 50 out of 51 for voter turnout. Washington D.C. was also included in that study.

“The trend on Indiana voting is not good,” said Chuck Dunlap with the Indiana Bar Foundation. “We want to do something about it.”

While Dunlap acknowledged Indiana’s voter registration process is streamlined and straightforward, he said the state does not offer an option for same-day voter registration.

“So, you can’t just say, ‘I’m going to go and vote today’ if you haven’t registered. In Indiana, it’s about a month before. So, you have to plan ahead,” said Dunlap.

According to Vanderburgh County Clerk Marsha Barnhart, fewer younger voters casting their ballots is also contributing to the problem of low voter turnout.

“So many of the young people that I’ve talked to don’t feel like they make a difference anyway. They don’t feel like anything’s going to change,” said Barnhart.

In an attempt to get more young voters to the polls, the Indiana Bar Foundation launched its Indiana Kids Election program this year.

“They get the real candidates, they can have the real discussions about what policies they like, what candidates, they like, and why and then we conduct a statewide mock election with students,” said Dunlap. “Those that are eligible at the high school senior level, we also encourage them and help to facilitate them registering in a nonpartisan way.”

Hoosiers planning to vote should bring a government-issued ID to their voting center/polling place according to the Marion County Clerk’s Office. The deadline to register in Indiana is Monday, Oct. 7.

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