1-minute voter guide: Indiana secretary of state

Catch up quick: Four candidates are vying to replace Republican Diego Morales, who was ousted at the state's GOP nominating convention after years spent mired in controversy over spending while in office, hiring a family member and more.

• Republicans chose Max Engling, staffer to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, as their candidate.

• Democrat Beau Bayh is the 30-year-old successor to a political dynasty started by his grandfather, the late U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, and father, former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.
• Lauri Shillings is running as a Libertarian, the party she represented in 2024 during an unsuccessful congressional campaign.
• Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican turned independent, will be on the ballot under the Lincoln Party.

State of play: A new poll from Hoosier Leadership for America, released last week, shows an incredibly tight race.

• Engling had 38% support to Bayh's 37%.
• Shillings was at 6% and Ballard at 5%.
• 14% were undecided in the poll of likely voters taken Sept. 27–30.

The other side: Ballard's campaign questioned the results.

• "This poll was paid for by Hoosier Leadership for America, a dark money group associated with Republican Senator Jim Banks," the campaign said in a statement. "Of course, their poll has Max winning."

Zoom in: Ballard, Bayh and Shillings have all committed to auditing the office if elected to investigate whether it was misused by Morales.

• Engling did not. He is the only candidate to unequivocally support the SAVE Act, which would put new restrictions on voter registration.

What's next: Early voting starts Tuesday and Election Day is Nov. 3.

• In Marion County, early voting is held at the City-County Building weekdays from 8am to 5pm.
• Weekend voting, from 11am to 6pm, begins and eight additional early voting centers open Saturday, Oct. 24.