Preliminary injunction allowing student IDs at polls gets immediate use in Monroe County
IU student Josh Montagne cast an early ballot Wednesday at Bloomington’s North Showers site using his university ID, hours after a federal judge blocked enforcement of Indiana’s SB 10. Montagne is a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the law.
Left: Josh Montagne heads into the North Showers building on Morton Street, which is Monroe County's new location for early voting. Right: Josh Montagne wears his “I voted” sticker, having cast his ballot. (Dave Askins, April 15, 2026)
Around 10 a.m. on Wednesday (April 15) Josh Montagne arrived at the North Showers building on Morton Street in downtown Bloomington to cast his ballot during the early voting period for the May 5 primary election.
He presented his Indiana University student ID to prove who he was. The poll worker told him his student ID was fine, adding, “That’s a change that was made this morning.” Montage was well versed on the topic, because he is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that was filed over SB 10—which says that identification issued by state educational institutions does not qualify as valid voter ID.
The lawsuit claims that the new state law imposes an unconstitutional burden on students and young voters. SB 10 was enacted in 2025.
The procedural change at early voting check-in for Wednesday morning, to allow student IDs from state educational institutions to count, was the result of a court ruling the previous day.
U.S. District judge Richard L. Young issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of SB 10, concluding that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the law imposes an unconstitutional burden on students and young voters.
The lawsuit was brought by Montagne, along with Count US IN and Women4Change Indiana.
The injunction bars state and local election officials from enforcing Senate Bill 10 “to the extent that it prohibits voters from using documents issued by educational institutions as proof of identification” until the case is finally resolved.
For now, it means that college students like Montagne at state universities in Indiana can use their student IDs to vote.
Montagne told The B Square outside the early voting site that he was glad that the ruling on the preliminary injunction came before the end of voting—because it meant that he would be able to vote in this year’s election: “I was hoping it happened before Election Day. … I mean, I do all this campaign work to get these people elected. You know, it’d be really great to vote for them.”
“I just want to vote. That’s all I want to do,” Montagne said.
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