Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Indiana
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Indiana, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Indiana Election Division or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Monday, October 5
By midnight, at indianavoters.in.gov (IC 3-7-33-3.5). Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Postmarked by October 5. An application with a missing or illegible postmark counts if received by October 13. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Register in person by
Monday, October 5
Close of business at the county voter registration office (5 p.m. at the Election Division). Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Same-day registration
No
No same-day registration. Voters who moved within Indiana less than 30 days before the election may use a fail-safe affidavit to vote at their old precinct one final time. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Early voting
Tuesday, October 6 to Monday, November 2
28 days before the election, at the circuit court clerk's office and any satellite sites (IC 3-11-10-26). Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- How early voting works
Every county clerk's office must be open at least 7 hours on Saturdays October 24 and October 31. Dates, times and sites for your county are on indianavoters.in.gov.
Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Request a mail ballot by
Thursday, October 22
Application must be received by 11:59 p.m., 12 days before the election (IC 3-11-4-3). Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: county officials must have the ballot by 6 p.m. local time on Election Day. Military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day count if received by noon November 13.
- Election Day polling hours
6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Local time. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
You need a reason to vote by mail
Accepted reasons include: absent from the county all 12 hours polls are open; age 65 or older; disability; working all 12 hours; illness or caregiving; religious reasons; no transportation to the polls; military or public safety officer; election duties outside your precinct; address confidentiality program.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Domestic absentee ballots must be received by 6 p.m. on Election Day; postmarks do not count. Only military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day count if received by noon November 13.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID required
A voter without acceptable ID votes a provisional ballot and has until noon 10 days after the election to show ID to the county election board.
- What to bring
Bring a photo ID issued by Indiana or the U.S. government that shows your name (matching your registration) and an expiration date that is current or after November 5, 2024 — usually an Indiana driver's license or ID card, military ID, or U.S. passport.
When will we know results in Indiana?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
6 p.m. local time (the state spans Eastern and Central time) — 7 p.m. Eastern
6 p.m. Central, in the northwest (Chicago area) and southwest (Evansville area) counties. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Monday, November 2
From noon on November 2, counties with electronic poll books or vote centers may, by unanimous board resolution, review and open absentee ballots received by then; they are scanned but not tabulated (IC 3-11.5-4-11.5). Other counties process on Election Day. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Absentee counting may begin at 6 a.m. on Election Day in counties that have adopted the resolution (IC 3-11.5-4-11). Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Counties finish their count by
Monday, November 16
By noon, county clerks send the statement of votes cast to the Election Division. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Automatic recount
None
No automatic recount. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Requested recount
A candidate for federal or statewide office may file a verified recount petition with the Indiana Election Division by noon November 17; the state party chair may file by November 20 if the candidate has not. Voters may petition for a recount of a statewide public question by November 17.
IC 3-12-11-1, 3-12-11-2, 3-12-12-2. No margin threshold is listed; who pays was not confirmed. Indiana Election Division 2026 Election Calendar, Administrators' Edition (rev. March 16, 2026).
- Runoff
No general election runoff.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Ind. Const. art. 16, § 1(c): "If a majority of the electors voting on the amendment ratify the amendment, the amendment becomes a part of this Constitution." Text checked is the Indiana General Assembly's copy as amended 2024.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Indiana Election Division.