In preparation for the upcoming election season, several resources are available for faculty, staff and students to promote voter registration and voting across the campus.
First, let’s look at some data about student voting at IU Indianapolis (IUI). IUI participates in the 
National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), which matches our student information with voting records and produces reports on voter registration and voting. In 2020, the last presidential election, 86.1% of students were registered to vote, and 79.3% of those registered actually voted, giving us a voting rate of 68.3%. That voting rate dropped markedly, to 27.1%, two years ago when only state and local elections were on the ballot. If you’d like to explore this data further, including breakdowns by discipline, the reports are posted on the Office of Community Engagement website.
Earlier this year, Chancellor Ramchand recommitted to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) American Democracy Project, a non-partisan initiative to ‘instill all students with knowledge and skills, preparing them to be informed and engaged global citizens, empowered to create a more just society and world.’ To that end, a number of resources are available to increase student voter registration and voter education. They include:
- Voter registration and engagement information on the Office of Community Engagement website and linked in one.iu.edu
- An Election Engagement module in Canvas that covers voter registration and voting
- A political and civic engagement calendar of events
- A website developed by the Center for Service and Learning with resources for civics in the curriculum
- An Information Literacy module in Canvas
- Civic Engagement Assistants in Student Affairs who are available to provide information or present on how to vote, civil discourse, understanding government and more
- @IUIJagsVote on Instagram. Follow for the latest on events, including voter registration tabling, a Day of Democracy event on September 12, a National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day on September 17, and a Voter Registration Bash on October 1.
- University Library will serve as a vote center on election day for voters registered in Marion County. Poll hours are 6 am to 6 pm.
Key dates for the upcoming 2024 election are:
- October 7: Deadline to register to vote in Indiana
- October 8 – November 4 at noon: Early voting in Indiana
- October 24: Deadline to request an absentee ballot in Indiana
- November 5: Election Day, polls open 6 am to 6 pm
Which offices will be on your ballot can vary by where you live, but most likely will include:
- President & Vice President
- U.S. Senator
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Indiana Governor & Lt. Governor
- Attorney General
- Indiana Senator
- Indiana House of Representatives
- County Treasurer
- County Surveyor
- County Coroner
- School Board
- Township Board
- A number of judge retention questions
To register to vote, check your registration, see what’s on your ballot and learn how to vote in Indiana, visit indianavoters.com. If you are registered to vote in another state, visit vote.org.
While all are encouraged to exercise their right to vote, there are limitations on the use of university resources for political activities. Review the university policies on political activity for clarification. Should you have any questions about these resources, please reach out to Jennifer Boehm (jrboehm@iu.edu).