Ballard proposes high school program to improve voter turnout

Plan calls for mock elections on real equipment and on-site registration for eligible students

Submitted

Independent Indiana Secretary of State Candidate Greg Ballard proposed a program on Thursday, Oct. 29, to encourage the next generation of voters to comfortably go to the polls. Ballard outlined pieces of the plan during an event this week at Hamilton Southeastern High School hosted by Rho Kappa, the school’s social studies honor society.

The full plan would get young Hoosiers thinking about voting before they are eligible to cast a real ballot and familiarize them with the process. Ballard’s proposal is designed to help address the fact that Indiana has consistently finished in the bottom ten states for voter turnout.

As Secretary of State, Ballard would:

1. Bring mobile voting machines into Indiana high schools interested in the program, so students can run mock elections on the same kind of equipment their county will use on Election Day.
2. Register on-site every eligible 18-year-old student who wants to register to vote.
3. Work with the Indiana General Assembly to make it legal to pre-register 17-year-olds in high school. Ten states already allow at least some 17-year-olds to pre-register.

“The first time a young Hoosier votes shouldn’t be the first time they’ve seen a voting machine,” Ballard said. “Bring voting machines to schools, let students practice, and get them registered while they’re there.”

Ballard hopes that if young people feel confident to start voting right at age 18, they will be more likely to keep voting throughout their lives and encourage others to also go to the polls.