INDIANAPOLIS — A federal appeals court has abruptly reinstated Indiana’s ban on using student identification cards at the polls, reversing a lower court’s decision just as early voting for the state’s May 5 primary election enters its final weeks.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted an emergency motion to stay a preliminary injunction against Senate Enrolled Act 10 (SEA 10). The ruling means that, effective immediately, student IDs issued by Indiana’s public colleges and universities are no longer valid for voter identification.
The appeals court’s decision halts a ruling issued only six days earlier by U.S. District Judge Richard Young. In his April 14 injunction, Judge Young had sided with voter advocacy groups, concluding that the ban likely violated the 1st and 14th Amendments by placing an “unconstitutional burden” on young voters.
Young estimated that approximately 40,000 students in Indiana lack a state-issued driver’s license or passport and would rely on their student IDs to participate in the democratic process. He noted that student IDs had been accepted in Indiana for nearly two decades without any evidence of fraud.
However, the Seventh Circuit, composed of two judges appointed by President Donald Trump and one by President Joe Biden, stayed that injunction without an immediate detailed explanation. The court promised a “reasoned decision” would be released within two business days.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who filed the emergency appeal, hailed the decision as a “BIG WIN for Election Integrity.”
Rokita argued that the law is a necessary measure to ensure that only “secure, government-issued IDs” are used at the polls. He maintained that student IDs do not face the same “rigor” in verification as Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) documents and that the ban closes potential loopholes that could allow out-of-state or ineligible voters to cast ballots.
“We will never back down from safeguarding the security of our elections and the sacred right of eligible voters,” Rokita said in a statement.
The rapid back-and-forth in the courts has created immediate confusion for student voters and election officials. Following the initial injunction last week, several students, including plaintiff Josh Montagne of Indiana University, successfully cast ballots using their student IDs.
Advocacy groups, including Count US IN and Women4Change Indiana, criticized the stay, arguing that it effectively “shuts the door” on young voters during a live election cycle.
“This law was never about election integrity—it was about silencing the voices of young Hoosiers,” said Jalyn Radziminski-Hooks, Lead Policy Director for Count US IN.
With the stay in place, poll workers across Indiana have been instructed to return to strict enforcement of SEA 10. To vote in the May 5 primary, Indiana residents must present a photo ID that meets the following criteria:
- Issued by the U.S. or the State of Indiana (e.g., Driver’s License, State ID, U.S. Passport, or Military ID).
- Includes the voter’s name (matching the registration record).
- Includes a photograph.
- Is current or expired after the most recent General Election (Nov. 5, 2024).
Unlike student IDs, identification cards issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs do not require an expiration date to be valid for voting in Indiana.
Students who do not have an acceptable form of ID may still cast a provisional ballot, but must visit their county election board office within ten days of the election to provide a valid ID or sign an affidavit of indigency.
