INDIANAPOLIS — Early voting ended at noon on Monday all across the state, but not everyone who lined up to cast their ballot early got a chance to do that.
Some voters say they were turned away after being told they weren't registered, voters like Donna Hill's 18-year-old son, Nelson.
This election was supposed to be the first one in which Nelson would cast his ballot.
"He was so excited," said Hill of her son, who went to vote last week in Johnson County. "It's a rite of passage."
But it never happened. Nelson was told he wasn't registered and couldn't vote.
"They put the driver's license in the little scanner, and they scanned it, and they said, 'You're not registered. You'll want to contact somebody because we can't take your vote today,'" Hill said Nelson was told at the place where he went to vote.
According to Hill, Nelson registered in September 2023 at the BMV when he was still 17. At first, Hill wondered if the BMV had dropped the ball with Nelson's application.
Hill says she contacted Johnson County voter registration and was told Nelson's registration had been denied.
"He turned 18 after the primary, the election in May," Hill explained.
"He turned 18 in June, so because of the time frame of his date of birth, they weren't able to accept his registration," Hill said she was told.
Pike Township Trustee and poll watcher Annette Johnson says she has seen other voters get turned away, too, in Marion County at three different voting locations. Johnson says those voters were also told they weren't registered.
"They are all adamant that they registered to vote at the BMV," Johnson explained. "That's the common denominator."
Johnson says she also got phone calls from voters who had the same experience, voters, she says, told her they had also registered through the BMV.
"What is the breakdown because clearly there is a breakdown that's happening," Johnson said, explaining the voters she saw this happen to were able to fill out provisional ballots.
Those ballots won't be counted until after the election, when the election board determines with each one, if they can be counted.
13News contacted the BMV to see if they'd received any reports of issues.
They sent a statement, which said, "The BMV has not received reports of application issues. After a voter registration goes through our system, it is in the hands of the Indiana Election Division."
13News contacted the Indiana Secretary of State's Office, under which the Indiana Election Division falls. They responded, saying voter registration can be checked anytime at IndianaVoters.in.gov.
They also said anyone experiencing issues with voter registration or IDs on Election Day may cast a provisional ballot, after which they will have 10 days to investigate and resolve any clerical or administrative errors.
For Donna Hill and Nelson, the experience has turned out to be a cautionary tale in the importance of checking to make sure you're registered to vote before heading to the polls.
"When you're able to vote, it's a rite of passage. It's Adulting 101," Hill said.
This time though, Hill's son won't be experiencing it. And Hill said no one offered him a provisional ballot, so he's sitting this one out.