Deadline to register to vote in Primary Election: April 3, 2023
Early voting begins April 4!
The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of government. The President serves a four-year term and has the duty to carry out the laws the Congress pass and the ability to veto those laws before they pass. The United States Congress is the legislative branch and is responsible for creating the laws and the budget. It consists of two houses, an upper and a lower. The upper house, the Senate, is made up of two senators per state each of whom represents the whole state and serve for six years. The lower house, the House of Representatives, is made of a number of representatives based on the population of a state with each representative representing a specific district. Representatives serve two-year terms.
Federal elections are held every two years. Elections held in years where the President's office is not on the ballot are called "midterm" elections. Senators' terms are staggered such that only one-third of the Senate is on the ballot per election.
Who is in the United States Congress and how can I contact them? Also find out who is on which committee. Also available in print in the Wells LIbrary SuDocs: Y4.P 93/1:1.
Type in your address to find out who your Senators and your Representative are. Or, just browse the interactive map of Congressional Districts.
Track the activity in Congress by member or by legislation. Who's voting for what?
Indiana has a Governor and a Lieutenant-Governor who are elected every four years on the same ticket. The state congress is known as the General Assembly. Like the federal congress, the General Assembly consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. All fifty Senators and one hundred Representatives serve specific districts. Senators serve four-year terms and Representatives two-year terms.
Unlike the federal government, states are also permitted to include their residents in legislation directly through referendum. In Indiana, these are on the ballot as "Public Questions."
Put in your address to find your Indiana state Senator and Representative and how to contact them.
Keep tabs on state legislatures. LegiScan's OneVote is a free service that allows registered users to track up to 50 bills.
Access Indiana finances at all levels. You can learn about what an organization does by seeing how it spends its money.
Local elections are often the least noticed of all elections, but local officials have the most impact on an individual's life. Local officials are in charge of streets, schools, parks, libraries, public transportation, zoning and building permits, property and vital records, among other everyday needs. Every local area is different, but wherever you end up living, take some time to familiarize yourself with local politics.
A resident of Monroe County may find themself under the governance of as many as three bodies, depending on where they live: county, township, and city. In Indiana, the structure of all three kinds of government are dictated by state law.
There are a lot more candidates on a local ballot than you might anticipate. Some are running for offices you might not have expected to be elected positions. Because of the way the terms of the offices are staggered, an election happens nearly every year even if the entire area doesn't always get to participate.
One stop portal for Indiana voter services, including registration and absentee ballots. Avoid surprises by generating a sample ballot ahead of time to help guide your research and decide how to vote.
The executive officer of the City of Bloomington is the Mayor, who is elected by all city residents and serves four years. The legislative body is the Common Council (also known as the City Council). There are nine council members: six members who represent specific districts and three at-large members. Bloomington's City Clerk is also an elected position with a four year term.
There are many ways to contact to city, not just by phone or mail. Of particular note is the uReport service and the MyBloomington database.
Report issues and suggestions relating to city services, such as sidewalk blockages, graffiti, potholes, etc.
Plug in any address to see such information as who your elected city officials are, what day your garbage pick-up is, or which parks are nearby. School district not included.
Free, ten-week course where "participants learn about the challenges of city government, budget limitations, day-to-day operations, and mandates."
Most city councils, boards, and commissions post their meeting agendas and minutes online. Read the agendas to get up to date on what they will discuss at upcoming meetings and look at meeting minutes to see what decisions they made at past meetings. You also might see something called a "packet" which is a compilation of information (such as maps, plans, etc.) submitted by petitioners for the council's deliberation.
Maintained by Dave Askins, local journalist. May include other calendars of local interest.
Learn the functions of city boards and commissions. Fill vacant positions, too!
The executive body of Monroe County is the three-member County Board of Commissioners. Each commissioner represents one district in the county. The County Council is the fiscal body. It approves budgets, controls county taxes, and may borrow funds. Four of the members represent specific districts and three are at-large members who are elected by all the county's residents. Commissioners and Councilors all serve four year terms.
Other elected positions in county government include: Assessor, Auditor, Coroner, Recorder, Sheriff, Surveyor, and Treasurer. They all serve four year terms.
Each county also elects Circuit Court Judges (six year term), a Prosecuting Attorney (four years) and a Clerk of the Circuit Court (four years).
School board members are also elected positions, but Monroe County has two school boards. Most of the county is served by the Monroe County Community School Corporation (seven members from seven districts), but the northwest corner that includes the city of Ellettsville is served by the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation (five members, two from Richland township, two from Bean-Blossom township, and one at-large).
The county is in charge of organizing local elections. Find out who the board members, when they meet, and what's on the agenda.
Become a poll worker, see the results of the last election, view sample ballots from every precinct, find information on how to become a candidate, among other information.
Google Calendar .ics file for Monroe County.
Maintained by Dave Askins, local journalist. May include other calendars of local interest.
Get involved by learning about and/or applying to join county boards!
Click on "Board of Trustees" to access meeting information.
Click on "Board" for meeting times.
Monroe county is divided into eleven civil townships. Indiana townships are legislated by the state government. Not all townships in the state serve the same function, however. In Monroe county, townships are mainly responsible for fire protection and for emergency help for low-income residents. Each township elects one Trustee who is the executive. Additionally, the residents elect three members to serve on the Township Board. All four individuals serve four year terms.
Contact information for all eleven township trustees, by phone, address, and e-mail. Note that not all townships maintain web presences. Those that do have been listed below.
Includes names of township board members.
A tailored site for IU affiliates, this is the university's preferred platform for voter registration
Learn how to register to vote and find the deadlines for voter registration in your state.
Find out how to update or change your voter registration. If your state has online voter registration, you can make the changes online.
Find out how to check your voter registration status to confirm that you’re able to vote in the next election.
Aggregation site for useful information on candidates
Free, unbiased, in-depth information about current officials, candidates, issues, legislation, and voting
Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process.
Created by the staff of the Government Information, Maps & Microform Services (GIMMS) department in Wells Library, this page contains a thorough list of resources to aid voters in their decisions
Learn the meaning of common terms used in voting and elections.
Find Constitutional amendments and laws that protect our right to vote. Learn about election crimes and how to report them.
Printable guide
Find results of past federal elections and availability of the 2016 Presidential election results. Learn how voting methods and voter habits have changed over the years.
Here are some resources to start with if you are interested in the study of American democracy.
A research and reference tool for voting and elections at the state and federal level, including demographic data, bibliographies, and encyclopedia entries.
What does your district look like? How does it compare to others around the country? Find out!
Type in your address to find out who your Senators and your Representative are. Or, just browse the interactive map of Congressional Districts.
Indiana General Assembly districts. Includes link to a tool to find your own.
Links to district maps for Monroe County and the City of Bloomington. Includes large map of voting precincts and links to school district maps.
Plug in any address to see such information as who your elected city officials are, what day your garbage pick-up is, or which parks are nearby. School district not included.
Generate maps of Monroe County. Includes layers for voting districts, school districts, and voting precincts.
The goal of Indiana University Bloomington's (IUB) Big Ten Voting Challenge is to increase student voter registration, non-partisan education, and voter turnout in November 2022 and beyond.
IUB's efforts to enhance student-citizens is part of the nationwide Big Ten Voting Challenge (BTVC) through which Big 10 schools are engaging in a friendly competition to see which campus rises above the rest in two areas: First, there is an award for the greatest percentage voter turnout among eligible voters on campus. Second, there is an award for the biggest improvement in voter turnout.
If you have questions about the BTVC or PACE, contact the office at 812-856-1747 or pace@indiana.edu.
Registration Assistance Drop-in Hours
Drop-in hours for those needing assistance navigating the voter registration process and a chance to ask questions on identifying poll locations and hours, mail-in voting processes, and out-of-state voting.
Mondays through Fridays from 12:00PM to 5:00PM
Wells Library Learning Commons Research Desk OR Virtual (By appointment -- Contact the Research Desk staff)
Voting Literacy Drop-in Hours
Drop-in hours for those wanting to discover and discuss valuable resources to help make informed ballot decisions.
Mondays through Fridays from 12:00PM to 5:00PM
Wells Library Learning Commons Research Desk OR Virtual (By appointment -- Contact the Research Desk staff)
