Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is teaming up with conservative student group Turning Point USA for a new statewide push aimed squarely at young Hoosier voters, tying high school voter-registration drives to a broader effort to recruit the next wave of poll workers.
Morales’ office said today the initiative will tap Turning Point’s Club America chapters in high schools, pairing on-campus registration events with recruitment for student poll workers and leaning on existing state programs to plug teens into the election system. The rollout comes as Republican leaders in Indiana look to grow TPUSA’s footprint on school campuses ahead of the 2026 elections.
According to FOX59, Morales’ news release says the program is built around two core pieces, voter registration and poll worker recruitment, and urges schools and Turning Point chapters to contact the Secretary of State’s office to host drives. The release also quoted Morales saying he was “excited to partner” with Club America as a way to meet young voters where they are and connect them with civic resources.
What Club America does
Club America is Turning Point USA’s high school program, designed to train students to organize events, build and sustain chapters, and run registration efforts on their own campuses, according to a TPUSA press release announcing the initiative. The group’s materials say Club America supplies training, club kits and field staff, giving chapters logistical support for on-campus activities and voter-registration drives.
Hoosier Hall Pass and poll workers
Indiana already has a pathway for teenagers to get involved at the polls. The state’s Hoosier Hall Pass program lets 16 and 17 year olds serve as poll workers if they have written permission from a parent or a principal, and they must complete any county required training before they can help on Election Day. Indiana’s elections website spells out the age, residency and approval rules for student poll workers.
Context and concerns
The decision to partner with Turning Point USA is not landing in a vacuum. The group’s partisan reputation has repeatedly drawn scrutiny, and reporting on similar state level TPUSA partnerships has raised First Amendment and equal access concerns about government entities promoting clubs with clear ideological missions. As Indianapolis Star/USA TODAY Network coverage notes, legal experts say the exact terms of any official involvement are key in determining whether schools could be pressured to allow chapters or risk consequences, an issue that has triggered pushback in other states.
Morales’ office says this latest effort will build on the Secretary of State’s existing poll worker recruitment tools while coordinating with Club America to bring voter registration events directly onto high school campuses. For schools or student groups that want details on how to host drives or sign up as poll workers, the Secretary of State’s elections pages list county contacts and program materials. Indiana Secretary of State Elections page
