A federal judge has blocked enforcement of an Indiana law barring the use of student identification cards for voting, ruling that the measure likely violates constitutional protections.
U.S. District Judge Richard Young issued a preliminary injunction against Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), a 2025 law that removed college-issued IDs from the list of acceptable voter identification. The ruling means student IDs can continue to be used for voting in the upcoming May primary while the case proceeds through the courts.
The decision represents a significant legal setback for Indiana state officials, who had argued that student IDs lacked uniformity and security compared to state-issued identification such as driver’s licenses.
In his ruling, Young found that the law imposes an unconstitutional burden on students and younger voters, citing protections under both the First and Fourteenth Amendments. While the law is written in neutral terms, the judge concluded that its real-world impact falls disproportionately on a specific group.
“On its face, SB 10 is nondiscriminatory,” Young claimed. “But its effects clearly fall more heavily on young voters and students,” noting that they make up the vast majority of individuals who rely on university-issued IDs.
The ruling comes at a critical moment in Indiana’s election calendar. Early voting for the May primary is already underway, and the court found that enforcing the law now could cause “irreparable harm” by preventing eligible voters from casting ballots.
Under the injunction, Indiana must revert to its previous practice, which allowed student IDs to be used for voting if they included basic identifying information such as a name, photograph, and expiration date. That system had been in place for nearly two decades prior to the passage of SB 10.
The lawsuit challenging the law was brought by voting rights groups and individual students, including at least one Indiana University student who had previously used a student ID to vote but lacked other qualifying identification under the new law.
Evidence presented in the case suggested that a substantial number of voters rely on student IDs. The court cited estimates that nearly 200,000 students attend Indiana public universities, and that in at least one campus polling location, roughly two-thirds of voters used student IDs in a recent election.
Judge Young also rejected the state’s argument that eliminating student IDs was necessary to protect election integrity. According to the ruling, Indiana did not provide evidence that student IDs had been linked to voter fraud or had caused significant administrative problems.
Instead, the judge suggested the law appeared to target a commonly used form of identification without sufficient justification.
“SB 10 looks more like a solution in search of a problem,” Young wrote, pointing to the lack of documented issues with student ID use in prior elections.
Indiana officials, including Attorney General Todd Rokita, have indicated they plan to appeal the decision. The state argues that voter ID requirements are a critical component of election security and that courts should not override laws passed by elected officials.
The legal battle over SB 10 reflects a broader national debate over voter identification laws and access to the ballot. Supporters of stricter ID requirements argue they are necessary to prevent fraud and maintain confidence in elections, while critics contend such laws can create barriers for certain groups, including students, low-income voters, and the elderly.
The case also intersects with ongoing political efforts to tighten election laws at the federal level. Congressional Republicans have been pushing measures such as the SAVE America Act, which would impose stricter voter identification and citizenship verification requirements nationwide.
Because the ruling is a preliminary injunction, it does not permanently strike down the law. Instead, it temporarily blocks enforcement while the case is litigated. The outcome of that process could determine whether Indiana ultimately retains or abandons its restrictions on student IDs as valid voter identification.
For now, the immediate impact is clear: student voters in Indiana will be able to use their school-issued IDs in the upcoming primary election, preserving a longstanding practice as the legal fight continues.
