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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIt’s that time of year again when we bemoan Indiana’s abysmally low voter turnout and urge you to do something about it.
Even in presidential election years like this one—when voter buzz is at its peak—Indiana still routinely has some of the lowest voter turnout rates in the nation.
In the last presidential election, in 2020, only 61% of registered Hoosier voters made it to the polls, ranking the state 46th in voter turnout, according to the Indiana Civic Health Index. In the 2022 midterm election, Indiana was 50th.
Indiana’s ranking for voter registration isn’t much better. From 2010 to 2022, the state’s ranking has consistently fallen. In 2022, 65.5% of all eligible Hoosiers were registered to vote, ranking the state 40th, down from the 69.3% recorded in 2020.
There are plenty of races that should get you fired up this year.
Not only is former President Donald Trump facing off against Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency, but Indiana voters also will select a new U.S. senator and decide who will hold the state’s nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
At that state level, there’s a spirited race for governor featuring Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater and a fiery battle for attorney general between Republican incumbent Todd Rokita and Democrat Destiny Wells.
Hoosiers also will vote to fill 125 of the 150 seats in the Indiana General Assembly.
The voting continues all the way down to the county and school board level, with county posts such as treasurer, surveyor and coroner up for grabs. Many school board seats also are up for election.
The groups that partner to put out the Indiana Civic Health Index have been doing plenty to try to move the needle, but so far nothing has really caught fire.
The nonpartisan Indiana Citizen group works to provide information about candidates on its website to help Hoosier voters make informed decisions.
This year, the Indiana Bar Foundation has opened its mock election program to all high schools across the state. Engaging young Hoosiers in the electoral process has become a key concern after a Tufts University study showed that the number of 18- and 19-year-old Hoosiers registered to vote dropped 51% from 2018 to 2022.
The Center on Representative Government at Indiana University aims even younger, offering a five-day civics camp for fifth- through ninth-graders. Ultimately, though, the movement to improve Indiana’s civic participation comes down to you, the Hoosier voter.
So IBJ urges you to take some time before 6 p.m. on Nov. 5, when the polls close, to look at who’s running, do a little research and cast votes for the people you believe would make the best leaders for your nation, state and community.
Go to indianavoters.in.gov to check your voting status, find out where to vote and see when early-voting polling sites will be open in your area (early voting has already started in Indiana). Then do your civic duty and cast your ballot. Our future depends on it.•
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This is a sad year for Americans. There isn’t much of a choice and no one worth voting for. Silly me, I want someone with integrity that actually cares about America. We’ve got a puppet who is controlled by her party and a jerk who is running his mouth and has been indicted on several crimes. That’s not much of an option. I don’t understand why there wasn’t more people running against these 2. I sure wish Ben Carson was running again. But the way he was treated last time he ran, I don’t blame him.