Indiana’s ban on student IDs for voting reinstated by appeals court

A federal appeals court reinstated Indiana’s GOP-backed ban on student IDs for voting — abruptly pausing a ruling which allowed students to cast ballots with their college-issued IDs.

In an order Monday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state’s emergency request to stay the lower court’s ruling, putting the ban back into effect while the case proceeds.

The decision reverses — at least for now — a major win for voters handed down last week by the district court, which found that Indiana’s law targeting student IDs likely violates the Constitution.

That ruling had immediate, real-world impact.

In Monroe County, one of the plaintiffs* Josh Montagne — a student at Indiana University — was able to cast his ballot using his student ID the very next day after the block took effect.  

“I just want to vote. That’s all I want to do,” Montagne said after casting his ballot for a primary election.  

Now, the appeals court’s intervention shuts that door for other students — reinstating a law that bars state college-issued IDs even though they meet the same basic criteria as other accepted forms of identification.

The lower court had sharply questioned the state’s justification for the restriction, noting that Indiana had accepted student IDs for nearly two decades and finding no evidence they caused problems.

“On this record, SB 10 looks more like a solution in search of a problem,” the judge wrote in last week’s ruling.  

The court also emphasized the stakes for voters, warning that denying access to the ballot — even temporarily — causes harm that cannot be undone after an election.

“Because an individual cannot vote after an election has passed, it is clear that the wrongful disenfranchisement of a registered voter would cause irreparable harm,” the ruling stated.  

The appeals court’s brief order did not immediately engage with that reasoning. It offered no explanation for why the injunction was halted, instead indicating that a fuller opinion will follow within two days.

For now, the practical effect is once again immediate.

Indiana’s student ID ban is back in force, and students who relied on last week’s ruling to vote may once again be turned away if they don’t present another acceptable form of ID at the polls. 

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) celebrated the decision, calling it a “BIG WIN for Election Integrity” and arguing the law ensures only “secure, government-issued IDs” are accepted.

The underlying legal fight, however, is far from over. 

The appeals court’s stay is temporary — a procedural move that pauses the lower court’s ruling while judges consider the case more fully.

With voting already underway, the decision may add more confusion and uncertainty into election administration in Indiana — and cuts off access for a group of voters the lower court had just found were likely burdened unlawfully.

*The Elias Law Group (ELG) represents the plaintiffs in this case. ELG Firm Chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.