Ball State students are leading new voter registration this election

In this 2024 general election, potential voters in Indiana could have more difficulty getting to the ballot box.

Indiana House Bill 1264 went into effect on July 1 as Public Law 65. The law introduced new residency requirements for initial voter registration in the name of “election security.”

New voters may notice these changes in the online voter portal, which asks for a current and valid Indiana driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. This information is then compared to Indiana ID cards to prove the voter’s residency.

Linda Hanson, president of the League of Women’s Voters, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for voter rights and informs people about voting, said the legislation is intended to make elections safer, but it also “makes [voting] much more difficult.”

She said those who do not have an Indiana driver’s license or an Indiana Social Security number will then be required to provide additional residency documentation. This can be in the form of a recent utility bill, a bank statement, a government check – “whatever the paycheck.” [or] Government document showing your name and address” – or a valid voter ID card with your photo, address and expiration date.

These materials must then be submitted to the county elections office or voter registration office before the polls close on Election Day.

“If you live in a group home or a retirement home or some type of condominium where you don’t get utility bills – something that’s in your name and address – you’re not going to have those either,” Hanson said. “There are several forms of residence permits that make it complicated, and that does it [registration] much more stressful, much more effort [vote].”

Sage Waters, a second-year student teacher at Ball State University, is one of those students affected by the new legislation, which could stand in the way of her original plan to vote in Muncie.

That option, she said, would have been more convenient than voting in her home state of Ohio. It also makes it easier since she will be living in the area for three more years and possibly longer when she ends up teaching in Indiana.

Waters said she was unaware of the new legislation and assumed she could register to vote, as she was taught in high school in Ohio. She said she doesn’t receive much mail at her Ball State address, which helped her determine her residency.

Yet Waters is still determined to try.

“It’s definitely discouraging, but I’m still going to try [register]said Waters. “I know how important it is [to vote]not only because of presidential affairs, but in general… As a student, I already have a lot to do. I just don’t feel like it should be that challenging.”

However, college students aren’t the only ones feeling the impact of the legislation. YWCA Central Indiana CEO WaTasha Barnes Griffin works with voter advocacy groups through Project 50 and the Martin Luther King Dream Team. Here she helps ensure that other groups with barriers, such as women in “transient living situations,” have the information and resources to vote.

She said the organizations she works with help women obtain the necessary supplies they need to vote by finding solutions to problems such as a permanent mailing address and ID. They help these people obtain identification and set them up with the address of the animal shelter, a post office box or a church.

“We want women to know that they can vote, even if they don’t have a permanent place of residence,” Griffin said. “We need their voices because they are affected in ways that many of us are not and it is imperative that their voices are heard.”

Chelsea McDonnell, public relations director at MADVoters, added that the new legislation would have an unexpected impact on some groups of people, such as those in nursing homes.

Regardless of their situation, time is running out for those who still want to register to vote, as Indiana faces an Oct. 7 deadline. It may be time for students to consider requesting an absentee ballot.

“They have to be registered to vote by Oct. 7 or they can’t vote,” McDonnell said. “If [college students] If they cannot obtain proof of their residency, they should definitely consider choosing to vote by mail, because not voting is not an option.”

For those who make it to the polls, the process will take time. Hanson said voters should be ready to vote as early as possible in case complications arise.

At the same time, these challenges may not be enough to dissuade a large proportion of young first-time voters. Griffin and McDonnell both said they are seeing a strong uptick in young people being civically engaged and interested in voting, especially in this year’s election.

“Boomers and Generation X have it ingrained in the importance of voting,” Griffin said. “Generation Z, they’re out there watching. They’re out there talking, and they’re not just talking – they’re actually doing it – especially in the context of the national presidential election.”

Contact Abigail Denault by email at [email protected].