State attorneys are urging a federal judge to reject a request to block Indiana’s ban on using college identification cards to vote, arguing in new court filings that the law does not target young voters or make it harder for them to cast ballots.
-Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana AG pushes back against court effort to halt student ID voting ban before 2026 election
This issue has always been a curious one to me. Before updates in 2015, students were not allowed to vote where they went to school unless they intended to make a permanent home in the precinct. It was impossible to challenge the permanent residency claim since you cannot simply question someone’s registration because they were a student. Previously, students were considered temporary residents:
IC 3-5-5-7 Temporary residency
Sec. 7. Subject to section 6 of this chapter, a person does not gain residency in a precinct into which the person moves for:
(1) temporary employment;
(2) educational purposes;
(3) preparing to purchase or occupy a residence; or
(4) other purposes;
without the intent of making a permanent home in the precinct.
IC 3-5-5-7 was updated in 2015 to include a carve out for transient students:
IC 3-5-5-7 Temporary residency; residency of students attending postsecondary educational institution
Sec. 7. (a) Subject to section 6 of this chapter, a person does not gain residency in a precinct in which the person is physically present for:
(1) temporary employment;
(2) educational purposes, except as provided in subsection (b);
(3) preparing to purchase or occupy a residence; or
(4) other purposes;
without the intent of making a permanent home in the precinct.(b) The following apply to a student attending a postsecondary educational institution in Indiana:
(1) A student who applies to register to vote shall state the student’s residence address.
(2) A student has only one (1) residence for purposes of this title.
(3) A student may state the student’s residence as either of the following, but not both:
(A) The address where the student lives when the student attends the postsecondary educational institution where the student pursues the student’s education.
(B) The address where the student lives when the student is not attending the postsecondary educational institution where the student pursues the student’s education.
If they can vote, why shouldn’t they have a valid Indiana issued ID? If every other voter is required to, why should students be given an exception?
The Indiana Capital Chronicle discussed the most recent filing in the case and pulled out this quote:
Student identification cards are not issued under any statewide election or motor vehicle legal standard, do not require proof of citizenship, lawful presence, or Indiana residency, and vary significantly by institution in format, security features, and issuance procedures
To me, the solution is simple. Students who want to vote where they go to school in Indiana need to change their residency to their university address and update their driver’s license or obtain an Indiana ID that reflects this. Voter ID Cards are even free.
However, this change of residency is exactly the rub students have when I speak to them.
I have not read the full briefing yet, but based on my previous years of conversations around this issue, most students do not want to change their residency away from their parent’s home.
For whatever reason, these same students want to vote where they go to school instead of where they claim permanent residency.
And since addresses are not on University IDs, this is the loophole that allows them to register here and use their address-free ID to vote.
Otherwise, your State issued ID address must match your registration, you must update the address details in order to vote. And for those out of State, you cannot hold two IDs either. From the BMV site:
Identification cards may be issued to an Indiana resident of any age who does not have a driver’s license. You cannot hold both an identification card and a driver’s license at the same time, even if one is issued by another state.
What do you think? Should student IDs be accepted or should students be required to have an Indiana issued ID that reflects the address of where they want to vote?
