Axios Indianapolis

April 01, 2026
📆 Hi! It's Wednesday and April Fools' Day. Trust no one. Except us.
- Plus, Passover gets underway tonight. Chag Sameach to everyone celebrating!
🌧️ Today's weather: Showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 59.
🚧 Situational awareness: The Shelby Street Bridge in Fountain Square closes today for a $14 million improvement project, with reopening expected in November.
Today's newsletter is 1,091 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: SAVE Act impact


More than 5 million voting-age Americans would have to drive an estimated hour or more to present their citizenship documents to register to vote, as would be required under the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Why it matters: President Trump is pushing the SAVE Act, which is currently stuck in the Senate, as necessary to secure future elections, but it could complicate voting for many American citizens.
- The SAVE Act would require people to present documents in person to an "appropriate elections official" to register to vote — effectively killing online and mail-in registration.
The big picture: The average American lives about 20 minutes by car from their nearest election office, per an Axios analysis. Those are county or municipal offices that manage voter registration and voting.
- That's without factoring in traffic.
- For rural Americans in western states, that more than doubles to 49 minutes.
Zoom in: In Indiana, most voters would have a drive of under 30 minutes to their nearest election office, but our analysis found drives up to an hour in many rural pockets.
What they're saying: Secretary of State Diego Morales has called on Congress to pass the act.
- "Our voters need to have confidence that only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections on a state level and nationwide," he said.
The other side: Many opposed to the measure say our elections are already safe from illegal voting by non-citizens, and the measure will only serve to disenfranchise voters.
- More than 21 million voting-age Americans lack the documents needed to register to vote under the SAVE Act, such as a birth certificate or passport, per an estimate from the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal public policy nonprofit.
- "The SAVE Act doesn't fix a real problem," says U.S. Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.). "We should be expanding voting access, not creating more unnecessary hoops to participate in democracy."
2. Voter registration deadline approaches
For now, Hoosiers can still register to vote online.
Why it matters: The deadline to register for the May primary is Monday.
How it works: Residents with a valid Indiana driver's license or Indiana state-issued identification card can register or update their registration at www.indianavoters.in.gov.
- You can also register in person at your county's voter registration or county clerk's office and at any BMV license branch if you are conducting a "credential transaction," such as obtaining a driver's license or ID card.
- To register by mail, you'll need to send in the Voter Registration Form to your county's voter registration office or the Indiana Election Division and have it postmarked by Monday.
To register, you need: A valid Indiana driver's license or state ID card;
- To be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old on or before the day of the November general election;
- To have lived in your precinct for at least 30 days before the election and;
- Not currently imprisoned for conviction of a crime.
State of play: The Secretary of State race is top of the ticket this year, but it won't be on your primary ballot.
- Party conventions choose the candidates to represent them on the general election ballot.
- Congressional candidates will be the top line with contested races in most districts, depending on whether you pull a Democrat or a Republican primary ballot.
Zoom in: Indiana has an "open primary," which means voters can choose a Democrat or Republican ballot without registering as an official member of that party.
3. Indianapolis education group announced
Mayor Joe Hogsett named his appointments to the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation.
Why it matters: The board will oversee school buildings, transportation, enrollment and other aspects of education in Center Township, taking some authority from the elected Indianapolis Public Schools board.
Driving the news: The corporation will be chaired by David Harris.
- The president and CEO of Christel House International helped build Indianapolis' charter school ecosystem, first in Bart Peterson's mayoral administration and then in founding the Mind Trust, a nonprofit that helps launch charter schools.
- Other members include three IPS board members, three more charter school leaders, a bank executive and a lawyer.
4. Pit stop: "Don't fly with ICE" protest planned
🪧 Basketball fans will be met with anti-ICE protests outside the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium. The NCAA contracts for travel with Global X, a private charter airline that also conducts deportation flights for ICE. (Mirror Indy)
🏗️ The owners of SoBro restaurant Twenty Tap want to bring a new two-story, multi-use building to the neighborhood. Plans call for commercial space on the ground floor and apartments on the second floor, constructed just north of Fat Dan's Deli on College Ave.
- While an earlier draft called for a larger project, the current plan came from collaboration with the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association. (IBJ)
🎻 The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's annual Symphony on the Prairie concert season starts in June, filled with era-spanning tribute shows and scores from popular film series — including "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars."
🦫 Rejoice, Buc-ee's superfans. The travel stop is opening a new location less than two hours from Indy, just past the Ohio state line. (WTHR)
5. Old News: Marion County's first election
On this day 204 years ago, just over 300 people hit the polls for Marion County's first election.
Driving the (old) news: On April 1, 1822, Hoosiers elected the county's first clerk, recorder, associate judges and commissioners from a pool of 32 candidates.
- In a proclamation published in the Indianapolis Gazette on March 18, 1822, it was announced that the election would take place at homes in Indianapolis, Strawtown, Anderson's Town, Fall Creek and Conner's Station.
Zoom in: There were two parties represented on the ballot, but they weren't divided by political lines.
- Instead, the "White Water" and "Kentucky" factions were geographical separations based on the direction voters traveled to get to Indianapolis.
- James M. Ray was the leader of the White Water, and Morris Morris led the Kentucky.
How it worked: There were no caucuses, conventions or primaries.
- The races were open to any free, white, property-owning male.
- A total of 336 votes were cast in the county, with 224 coming from Indianapolis.
Our picks:
🐶 Arika just watched (and loved) "DC League of Super-Pets." Stacked cast. Charming story. No notes.
😱 Justin is still processing "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" on Netflix.
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