A federal judge ruled that Indiana’s ban on using student IDs to vote presented “unconstitutional burdens” in a decision released Tuesday.
Judge Richard Young, a senior district judge in the U.S. court serving the Southern District of Indiana, granted voter advocacy groups a preliminary injunction. The ruling is on the grounds plaintiffs were likely to succeed based on their First and Fourteenth amendment claims.
Voter advocacy groups and an Indiana University student sued the state last year following the passage of legislation that blocked the use of student IDs in voting on the grounds that it didn’t prove someone was an Indiana resident.
Many state Democrats at the time noted that student voters would already have to prove residency when registering to vote, and the legislation seemed to target young voters.
In his decision, Young sided with those arguments, writing that the ban amounted to an “unconstitutional burden.”
“SB 10 marked the first time that Indiana singled out a previously acceptable form of ID and barred its use at the polls,” Young wrote. “Students are the only group that are told that their widely held, government-issued ID cannot be used to vote.”
He also pushed back on the idea that banning student IDs at the polls would help increase election integrity.
“There is no evidence that student IDs have been used to engage in voter fraud or any other voting-related misconduct,” Young said.
Count Us In Indiana, one of the plaintiffs on the case, praised the judge’s decision.
Jalyn Radziminski, policy director for Count US Indiana, called the ruling a “victory for every student in Indiana.”
“This law was never about election integrity — it was about silencing the voices of young Hoosiers who want to hold their elected representatives accountable at the ballot box,” Radziminski said. “Count US IN will continue fighting to ensure that every young voter in Indiana has a chance to participate in the political process..”
A spokesperson for Attorney General Todd Rokita said he disagrees with the judge's decision and intends to appeal.
"Indiana’s voter ID law is critical to election security and integrity,” the spokesperson said. “Courts shouldn’t be watering the law down by doling out special exemptions to some students and faculty. We’ll keep fighting to uphold commonsense election rules."
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
