Indiana Resources for Voters with Disabilities

In Indiana, you have the right to the following as protected by federal law. Election staff must be trained on and respect these rights:

• Accessible voter registration
• Accessible polling places
• Policies and procedures that do not discriminate against you based on your disability
• Accessible, available, and operational voting systems, features
• Your service animal to accompany you inside the polling place
• The right to vote privately and independently or with assistance, if needed
• Assistance from a person of your choice, who can be a friend, family member, or poll worker (but not your boss or union representative)
  • If you want assistance but do not have a specific person to help you, two poll workers, one from each party, will assist you
  • Any person assisting you to vote (including the judges) must complete an Affidavit of Voter Assistance at the Polls (PRE-3) BEFORE assisting
• Vote by absentee ballot if you have a disability that prevents you from voting in person on Election Day
• File a complaint about voting accessibility or other violation

A copy of Indiana’s Voter Bill of Rights can be found in English and Spanish. 

Agencies that provide public assistance and state-funded programs serving people with disabilities promote the right to vote and support voter registration. Agency responsibilities include:

• offering voter registration forms to public assistance applicants and beneficiaries 
• assisting individuals to complete the forms
• sending completed forms to the appropriate election official
• ensuring that voter registration is generally accessible 

• Hoosier voters with disabilities may obtain assistance from a poll worker or a person of the voter's choice who is not the voter's:  
  • employer, or an agent of your employer
  • union officer or representative
• If you do not want to pick someone to help you, you can have two poll workers (one from each political party) assist you
• Anyone who assists a voter needs to complete the Affidavit of Voter Assistance at the Polls, which is available at the polling station, before entering the voting booth
• A poll worker cannot force a voter with a disability to accept assistance. The poll worker cannot seek to persuade or induce you to vote for or against any candidate or any ballot question.

Indiana has a Combined Voter Registration and Absentee Form for those with print disabilities. However, voters with print disabilities are not required to use this form to register to vote, nor to request an absentee ballot. Contact your local election official if you have questions.

Please note that in February 2023, a federal court stopped Indiana from requiring voters who could not mark their own ballot from needing an appointment with a traveling board to vote absentee by mail. Your right to a private and independent vote has been upheld. 

If you have a print disability and choose to fill out the Combined Voter Registration and Absentee Form (ABS-VPD) form, you will get an email link to your county's OmniBallot website. This platform allows you to:

• Use screen reader technology to vote an absentee ballot privately and independently at home
• Add your signature to the ABS-25 Voter Affidavit digitally, either using your cursor or other assistive device to write the signature by hand or to type it

Federal law requires polling places to meet minimum compliance standards for voters with disabilities. If you want to check that your polling location meets these standards or find an alternative polling location, contact your local election official.

Click this link to view a demonstration of OmniBallot's absentee ballot for voters with print disabilities.

Click this link to view a list of the accessible voting equipment that each Indiana county uses.

If you have a problem while exercising your right to vote, you can:

• Call the toll-free number at 866-IN1-VOTE (866-461-8683). Help America Vote Act staff will be on hand to answer the calls from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EDT on Election Day and 8:00-4:30 on regular business days.
• Contact your local Elections Administrator.
• You can also fill out the HAVA Title III Violation Complaint Form to file a complaint with the Indiana Election Division. You will need to mail it or hand-deliver it to the Indiana Election Division, 302 W. Washington Street, Room E-204, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

You can also fill out a Violation of Civil Rights Complaint Form and submit it to the US Department of Justice by one of the following methods:

• Online form’s submission is the fastest method
• Fax the completed form to  (202) 616-9881. You MUST include “ATTN: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Complaints" at the top of your fax submission to ensure correct processing.
• Mailing your completed form to: 

                 U.S. Department of Justice
                 Office of the Inspector General Investigations Division
                 ATTN: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints
                 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
                 Washington, DC 20530

For additional assistance, The National Network of ADA Centers can provide local contact information for other organizations you may wish to contact, including your Regional ADA Center or ADA Knowledge Translation Center, or Federal Agencies and Resources.

• Voter Registration or Absentee Ballot Request
• Election Dates/Deadlines
• Election Official Directory
• US Vote Foundation's Voter Help Desk
• Department of Justice Civil Rights Violation Complaint Form
• Verified Voter Accessible Voting Machine Search
• Indiana State Elections Division Accessibility Grievance Form
• Indiana Disability Rights