Indiana Code

Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16 (2026)

Ballots; fraudulent application, showing, examination, receipt, possession, completion, or delivery

✓ current as of May 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section JustiaInd. Code CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Sec. 16. A person who knowingly does any of the following commits a Level 6 felony:

(1) Applies for or receives a ballot in a precinct other than that precinct in which the person is entitled to vote.

(2) Except when receiving assistance under IC 3-11-9, shows a ballot after it is marked to another person in such a way as to reveal the contents of it or the name of a candidate for whom the person has voted.

(3) Except when offering assistance requested by a voter in accordance with IC 3-11-9, examines a ballot that a voter has prepared for voting or solicits the voter to show the ballot.

(4) Receives from a voter a ballot prepared by the voter for voting, except:

(A) the inspector;

(B) a member of the precinct election board temporarily acting for the inspector;

(C) a member or an employee of a county election board (acting under the authority of the board and state law) or an absentee voter board member acting under IC 3-11-10; or

(D) a member of the voter's household or family listed in IC 3-6-6-7(a)(4), an individual designated as attorney in fact for the voter, or an employee of:

(i) the United States Postal Service; or

(ii) a bonded courier company;

(acting in the individual's capacity as an employee of the United States Postal Service or a bonded courier company) when delivering an envelope containing an absentee ballot under IC 3-11-10-1.

(5) Receives a ballot from a person other than one (1) of the poll clerks or authorized assistant poll clerks.

(6) Delivers a ballot to a voter to be voted, unless the person is:

(A) a poll clerk or authorized assistant poll clerk; or

(B) a member of a county election board or an absentee voter board acting under IC 3-11-10.

(7) Delivers a ballot (other than an absentee ballot) to an inspector that is not the ballot the voter receives from the poll clerk or assistant poll clerk.

(8) Delivers an absentee ballot to a team of absentee ballot counters appointed under IC 3-11.5-4-22, a county election board, a circuit court clerk, or an absentee voting board under IC 3-11-10 that is not the ballot cast by the absentee voter.

(9) Delivers an absentee ballot prepared by the voter for voting to a county election board, except for:

(A) the inspector;

(B) a member of the precinct election board temporarily acting for the inspector;

(C) a member or an employee of a county election board (acting under the authority of the board and in accordance with state law) or an absentee voter board member acting under IC 3-11-10; or

(D) a member of the voter's household or family listed in IC 3-6-6-7(a)(4), or an individual designated as attorney in fact for the voter, an employee of:

(i) the United States Postal Service; or

(ii) a bonded courier company;

(acting in the individual's capacity as an employee of the United States Postal Service or a bonded courier company) when delivering an envelope containing an absentee ballot under IC 3-11-10-1.

(10) Possesses an unmarked absentee ballot on or before the date of the election for which the absentee ballot has been printed, unless the person is authorized to possess the absentee ballot under this title as any of the following:

(A) A printer, when arranging for the delivery of unmarked absentee ballots to a county election board under IC 3-11-2.

(B) A county election board member or employee (acting under the authority of the board and in accordance with state law).

(D) An employee of:

(i) the United States Postal Service; or

(ii) a bonded courier company;

(acting in the individual's capacity as an employee of the United States Postal Service or a bonded courier company) when delivering an envelope containing an absentee ballot.

(E) An individual authorized under IC 3-11-10-24 to deliver an absentee ballot.

(F) An absentee ballot counter under IC 3-11.5.

(G) A provisional ballot counter.

(H) A precinct election officer.

(I) The voter who applied for the absentee ballot.

(11) Completes or signs an absentee ballot application for a voter, or assists a voter in completing an absentee ballot application in violation of IC 3-11.

As added by P.L.5-1986, SEC.10. Amended by P.L.3-1987, SEC.467; P.L.5-1989, SEC.73; P.L.3-1993, SEC.232; P.L.19-1993, SEC.3; P.L.4-1996, SEC.88; P.L.38-1999, SEC.70; P.L.103-2005, SEC.27; P.L.158-2013, SEC.15; P.L.109-2021, SEC.71.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 8 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2003–2021 · leading case: Leslie Feldman v. Arizona Sec'y of State's Ofc., 843 F.3d 366 (9th Cir. 2016).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Leslie Feldman v. Arizona Sec'y of State's Ofc., 843 F.3d 366 (9th Cir. 2016). · cites it 4× “Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16 (4). Connecticut also restricts ballot collection, permitting only the voter, a designee of an ill or disabled voter, or the voter’s immediate family members to mail or return an absentee ballot.”

Pabey v. Pastrick, 816 N.E.2d 1138 (Ind. 2004). · cites it 6× “Code 3-14-2-16(6)], their presence while voters marked and completed their absentee ballots [a species of `vote fraud' per Ind.Code 3-14-2-16(3) and a violation of Indiana Code 3-11-10-1.”

Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita, 458 F. Supp. 2d 775 (S.D. Ind. 2006). · cites it 2× “Ind.Code § 3-14-2-16; King Dep. at 32. Prior to 2004, Indiana law did not provide for the casting of a “provisional” ballot.”

Murphy v. State, 837 N.E.2d 591 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 6× “The State charged Murphy under Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16 . Murphy moved to dismiss on the ground the statute was unconstitutional.”

League of Women Voters of Ind v. Holli Sullivan, 5 F.4th 714 (7th Cir. 2021). “Oddly enough, Indiana seems to be the only state whose laws do not explicitly mention double voting; the state does, how- ever, make it a class D felony knowingly to “appl[y] for or receive[] a ballot in a precinct other than that precinct in which the person is entitled to vote.”

Knox v. Brnovich, 336 F. Supp. 3d 1063 (D. Ariz. 2018). “Instead, by eschewing the formalities of standard civil litigation in lieu of a simple briefing schedule, all parties saved time and expense in obtaining resolution of a case that, at its core, presents pure questions of law.”

Luellen, John v. City of East Chicago, 350 F.3d 604 (7th Cir. 2003). · cites it 2× “Luellen went to the home of a third party to collect ballots only from members of his own household.”

Dnc v. Katie Hobbs (9th Cir. 2020). · cites it 3× “Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16 (4). Connecticut also restricts ballot collection, permitting only the voter, a designee of an ill or disabled voter, or the voter’s immediate family members to mail or return an absentee ballot.”

— Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16(3) — 1 case

Pabey v. Pastrick, 816 N.E.2d 1138 (Ind. 2004). “Code 3-14-2-16(6)], their presence while voters marked and completed their absentee ballots [a species of `vote fraud' per Ind.Code 3-14-2-16(3) and a violation of Indiana Code 3-11-10-1.”

— Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16(4) — 2 cases

Luellen, John v. City of East Chicago, 350 F.3d 604 (7th Cir. 2003). “Luellen went to the home of a third party to collect ballots only from members of his own household.”

— Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16(6) — 1 case

— Ind. Code § 3-14-2-16(8) — 1 case

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.