The Indiana Voting Challenge – Why We Can't Wait
Fixing Indiana's Turnout Crisis: Why Registration is the Foundation and How Local Organizers Can Build It
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Think of us as the political equivalent of a 90s mixtape meeting a TikTok algorithm — we’re the odd couple who actually make the whole thing work. Mary’s has the playbook; Josh’s has the vibe. The future of politics isn’t about one generation leading the other, it’s about both showing up, bringing their best, and creating something that works for everyone.
Subscribe. Learn. Win. The future’s being built block by block —> by folks who refuse to ask permission.
Let’s get after it.
If you want to win in Indiana, you must start with a brutal truth: our democracy is on life support in the Hoosier State. We are nearly dead last in voter turnout. This isn’t an accident; it’s the result of a decades-long, deliberate strategy to create barriers to participation by the current GOP both at the state and federal level.
The challenges voters face are systemic and severe:
Massive Purges: Between 2017-2018, over 500,000 voters were purged from the rolls, requiring legal action to stop voter purges.
“We won again in this four-year-old lawsuit on behalf of Indiana’s voters,” said Barbara Bolling-Williams, president of the Indiana State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). “The laws Indiana passed in 2017 and 2020 risked improper purges of Indiana voters, particularly Black and brown voters. This decision is a win for democracy and racial justice.” - BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE
Constant Churn: 25% of the voter file changes every four years due to moves, aging, and name changes, creating a moving target for engagement.
Invisible Voters: Tens of thousands of potential voters, especially movers and young people, are completely “invisible” to campaigns because they aren’t registered, and thus never receive information or an invitation to participate in civic discourse.
Institutional Failure: The office designed to facilitate voting, the Secretary of State, has been described as a “dumpster fire,” failing to inform voters and even creating a crisis that had the potential of invalidating candidates due to unauthorized notarizations on candidate filings.
In this environment, a robust, year-round voter registration and protection program isn’t just a “nice-to-have”it’s the essential foundation for any electoral success. Yet, in Indiana, this monumental task increasingly falls on the shoulders of individual candidates and under-resourced county parties. While strides are being made each year to improve voter registration and voter protection, there is a great deal of work to be done.
As our guests powerfully argue, this is not ideal, but it is our current reality – candidates need to be engaged with voter registration and there are tools to help make it easier to track and register Potential Unregistered Democrats – PUDs.
Blythe Potter, candidate for Indiana Secretary of State, frames the human cost:
“People who don’t vote don’t think their vote matters. Our legislators are NOT listening to them... We’ve got a decent number of registered people. Their voices are being heard.”
Her statewide tour reveals both the crisis and the opportunity: county parties are energized and ready to work, but they lack the structural support from the state to do the foundational work of expanding the electorate.
Brendan Kelly of Civitech highlights the staggering scale of the opportunity and the impact of targeted action. In just nine targeted state house districts, a data-driven program that combined mail with text and canvass chase resulted in voter registration rates nearly double the national average. In one district, the campaign registered 937 new voters, 69% of whom cast a ballot—in a race decided by only 64 votes. He underscores the core philosophy:
“At its heart, I think of as an invitation to participate... everyone just wants to be asked.”
Mary Noone -
“All of the work that a candidate does is dependent on voter registration. That’s how important it is... We need to give [candidates] the tools to be successful. Voter registration should not come on the shoulder of candidates, but here we are.”
The “advocacy arm” of the electoral triangle, the 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) organizations that do year-round voter education and protection are much stronger in other states. Multiple, dedicated voter protection and voter education programs are critically needed in Indiana. They are emerging and growing and key to our future electoral success.
Aimee Cook, also of Civitech, demystifies the “how,” introducing tools like Running Mate that put precinct-level data and organizing power directly into the hands of local activists and first-time candidates. This represents the new culture of campaigning: no gatekeepers, direct access, and demystifying the process so anyone can organize their own block.
This conversation is a field guide for action.
It moves from diagnosing the profound challenges to detailing the exact strategies that work: data-targeted registration, multi-channel outreach, and empowering local parties with technology.
The work is not on the candidates alone, but as the “soft side” of our movement grows and through energized county parties and new advocacy networks, we are building the infrastructure for a different future.
The mission is clear: We must change the culture of how we run our campaigns. We must build the capacity to register, protect, and turn out voters every year, not just in the final weeks of an election. Because in Indiana, the future of our democracy isn’t waiting, it’s being built, block by block, by the people who refuse to ask for permission.
📣 Call to Action 📣
Do you have a legal background?
Have you been pondering how do I get involved?
Suggestion – Start a 501c3 dedicated to voter protection and voter education.
Below are examples of organizations doing year-round, on-the-ground work to educate, register, and protect voters.
Fair Fight Action - Founded by Stacey Abrams, this organization works to promote fair elections in Georgia and around the country through advocacy, research, and litigation.
Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda - A civil rights organization that focuses on voter education, registration, and mobilization, particularly in communities of color.
New Georgia Project - Works to register and civically engage voters, especially in communities that have been historically excluded from the political process.
UnidosUS Florida - Works on civic engagement and voter education within Latino communities, focusing on registration and mobilization efforts.
Mi Familia Vota - A national organization with a strong Florida presence that focuses on voter registration, education, and mobilization in Latino and immigrant communities.
THIS THURSDAY - FEBRUARY 12 - 1:00pm ET
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