INDIANAPOLIS — There is a general election that will take place for Federal, State, and Local offices. Early voting is available at several locations around the city until Nov. 4. Per Indiana law, voting hours are 6 a.m.-6 p.m. at voting centers that will open throughout the city. Visit vote.indy.gov for maps and locations.
Also according to Indiana law, you must present a valid driver’s license or valid photo ID (available free at local DMVs).
Voting is a right and privilege. Upon entry, there is an iPad used by poll workers to verify your ID and locate your voter record. This is the only piece of equipment that is connected to the Internet on a secure private network that connects only to the voter registration database. The poll worker will hand you a printed bar code on a blank ballot card that tells the Express Vote which ballot style (i.e., candidate list) you should receive, based on your registration address
The ExpressVote has no online access. Voters insert the ballot card into the equipment, and the screen will display the ballot for your registration address and precinct. Mark your choices using the touchscreen. When finished, select “Print” and ExpressVote will print an easy-to-read, completed ballot for you to review for accuracy. The ExpressVot does not store ballot data from any voter, and has been used since 2018 in Marion County.
Finally, you will take your completed ballot and feed it into the DS200 machine. The counter on the screen will confirm your ballot has been received. The DS200 is not connected to the Internet, and records on an internal media device that cannot be accessed remotely. All all paper ballots are stored in the device until poll workers physically tranfer them to the Election Service Center after the polls close for final tabulation, auditing, and archiving, per state law.
The Marion County Election Board, under the supervision of the Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP), performs a process called a “risk-limiting audit” to verify the accuracy of the election results.
If you are confused about any step of the voting process, don’t hesitate to talk to a poll worker. They’ve been trained on all the equipment and can address any concerns.