With Election Day rapidly approaching and the deadline for voter registration coming even sooner, those in the UIndy’s student, faculty and staff population that can vote may be wondering what the ballot will look like, especially with over 1,600 positions open in the state of Indiana alone, according to BallotReady. While the two presidential nominees may be well-known, especially after the debate, other offices on the ballot this election cycle for Hoosiers feature gubernatorial candidates to local coroners, according to Ballotpedia.
Local Government
According to Ballotpedia, within Marion County, there are four different types of positions open for election: Marion County Coroner, Marion County Surveyor, Marion County Treasurer and the Marion County Superior Court Judges. Additionally, within the city of Indianapolis, there are the Indianapolis Public Schools school board districts one, two, and four along with the Indianapolis Public Schools school board at-large race. Within these races, some are uncontested, meaning no one is running against them such as the coroner position. Additionally, some candidates, such as the county treasurer or Indianapolis Public Schools school board at-large, are incumbent, meaning they are campaigning to keep their current public office. The current Marion County Surveyor, Debra Jenkins, and all current Marion County Superior Court judges are running to keep their public office unopposed, according to Ballotpedia.
Largely, these positions such as judges or school board members are non-partisan, meaning they do not identify with a political party. However, there are some candidates who run with a party affiliation, such as the coroner, surveyor and treasurer for Marion County. For those not from Marion County or just curious about other county or city candidates, Associate Professor of History and Political Science Laura Merrifield Wilson said she recommends Ballotpedia as a source, regardless of its ironic similarity to Wikipedia, to view who is running and their views.
State Government
Associate Professor of History and Political Science Gregory Shufeldt said this election season is a busy one for Indiana. All seats within the Indiana House of Representatives and half the seats in the Indiana Senate leave 125 positions (100 from the House and 25 from the Senate) open for Hooseirs to vote for. Shufeldt also said Indiana has some “high-profile” elections this year such as Indiana’s gubernatorial race.
According to Indiana’s Voter Portal, in the races for governor and lieutenant governor, there are three pairs running: Jennifer Mccormick and Terry Goodin (D); Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith (R) and Libertarians Donald Rainwater and Tonya Hudson. When looking to vote at a booth, Shufeldt says Indiana is one of the states where straight-ticket voting is provided. According to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, straight-ticket voting is when you can check one of the parties, and the ballot machine will vote for the selected party on the ticket. However, this option is not provided for at-large races in Indiana. Shufeldt said that, for Indiana in particular, the races may not be as competitive.
“Indiana is a pretty safely Republican state right now,” Shufeldt said. “82% of Americans live in what we call a trifecta state, where one party controls the State House, the State Senate and the governor’s mansion.”
Additionally, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey in 2020 analyzing American voter behavior and found straight-ticket voting is susceptible to supermajorities. An alternative, split-ticket voting, is on the decline, Shufeldt said. Pew also found only 4% of voters were voting for a Senate candidate in opposition to their Presidential candidate, meaning that the vast majority of voters do not deviate from their party affiliations across candidates. For the majority of the U.S. that is not a swing state, this can lead to a trifecta state instead. This can lead to a change in the culture and experience voters can expect leading into the election, Shufelt said.
“40 of the 50 states are trifectas, so Republicans have a super majority controlling government right now,” Shufeldt said. “And so, while voting is important, I think most voters and most students should realize that we probably aren’t going to see as many campaign ads. We’re going to see less candidate visits from national office holders, because most people assume that the outcome of these races are often a foregone conclusion.”
While Indiana may be a solidly red state and most districts are a non-competitive race for Republicans, those identifying outside that party still have a reason to vote, Shufeldt said. Although it is less egregious in Indiana, Shefeldt said, “The New York Times” wrote about how many candidates run unopposed in elections with less and less Democrats running to oppose Republicans. This may cause voters to feel as though they have no reason to vote, but Shufeldt explains there is a reason to vote, regardless of outcome.
“I would identify that there’s still a reason to vote, even if you feel pretty comfortable that you know the outcome,” Shufeldt said. “… I think for students and for Generation Z and even for other young generations, taking the long game is appropriate. In that the only way that we would expect this to change is that candidates have somebody to run against, and that democracy requires some sort of choice. … And so while it might not be ideal that your party only gets 40% of the vote, that needs to happen so that better candidates start running, more people start raising money, more people get enthused and start volunteering. And, eventually, things could change.”
Federal Government
When thinking of the federal government, the Presidential race may be the only election that comes to mind. In this election, other “high-profile” candidates such as U.S. senators are on the ballot across the nation — including Indiana.
According to Indiana’s Voter Portal, it has three candidates looking to represent the Hoosier state in the U.S. Senate: Valerie McCray (D), Jim Banks (R) and Libertarian Andrew Horning. After Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and swiftly endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, he remains on the ballot in 29 states. Those on the ballot are as follows: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (D), Trump and J.D. Vance (R), Libertarians Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat and for the We the People Party there is Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan. Since the U.S. mostly operates via a two-party system, much of the presidential race will revolve around Harris and Trump. Since policy positions can impact a voters decision on who they vote for in the Presidential race, the topics within the debate, held Sept. 10, discussed the more important issues raised by voters such as inflation, immigration and healthcare.
For Harris, some of the values featured on her campaign website are as follows:
- Cutting taxes for middle-class families
- Making rent more affordable and home-ownership more attainable
- Growing small businesses and entrepreneurship
- Strengthen and make healthcare more affordable
For Trump, some of the values features on his campaign website are as follows:
- Sealing the border
- Carrying out the largest deportation operation in America to date
- Ending inflation to make America affordable again
- Making America the dominant energy producer within the world
According to the Pew Research Center, a survey conducted of U.S. adults held in late August through early September found what was deemed very important by voters, organizing them based on who they are likely to support in the election. Harris supporters indicated their biggest concerns are healthcare and Supreme Court appointments followed by the economy and abortion. Trump supporters indicated their largest concerns lie with the economy and immigration followed by violent crime and foreign policy, according to the survey. For immigration, it is rated as very important by 82% of Trump supporters and 39% of Harris supporters. With foreign affairs and immigration concerns impacting voters, Professor of History and Political Science Milind Thakar said many do not have a great knowledge on international affairs. He said that can cause a lot of voters to go along with claims any politician makes in regards to global affairs. However, Thakar explained that the U.S. has an obligation to support its allies, through offering them, for example, because it needs to maintain the important relationships that preserve its influence on the global stage.
“For the US to maintain its primacy, for the U.S. to maintain its relationships that bring it advantages in terms of good trade deals, in terms of security, it is necessary for the U.S. to maintain its big power status and to play an active role, rather than sit back,” Thakar said. “Countries that sit back and do nothing find that their power ebbs away. Because, and this is a key part, power is only good as it’s exercised. If it is not exercised, if it’s just potential, it isn’t power.”
Campus Community Weigh In
Whether it is decided by policy or party, votes cast at the poll Nov. 5 will dictate who takes office. For Imelda Pozos, senior history and political science major and president of the University of Indianapolis College Democrats, she said this election is very determinate of seriousness and equality. Additionally, Pozos calls for people to take the initiative to register, be active in the community and vote come Election Day.
On campus, there are resources for UIndy students, staff and faculty to ensure they are registered or to get registered to vote, Wilson said. On Monday, Sept. 16, through Thursday, Sept. 19, from 2-4 p.m., students and other volunteers will be at Krannert Memorial Library to help with the process, according to an email sent through Intercom. And, for those who may be apathetic to the idea of voting because they do not feel represented, Shufeldt said for students to also keep in mind that they are able to run for office as well in addition to using their voice.
Voting and voices matter to Bryce Howard, president of the University of Indianapolis College Republicans. He said that this election is important, especially for young people, and everyone over the age of 18 should get out and exercise their right to vote regardless of political opinion.
“Because at the end of the day, yeah, people might think, well, we’re — I’m just one person, but your opinion does matter,” Howard said. “Your voice does matter, and you have the right to an opinion because an American soldier died for your right to have an opinion.”
