§ 3-8-1-5 — Disqualification of candidates

(a) This section does not apply to a candidate for
federal office.
(b) As used in this section, "felony" means a conviction for which
the convicted person might have been imprisoned for more than one (1)
year.
(c) A person is not disqualified under this section for:
(1) a felony conviction for which the person has been pardoned;
(2) a felony conviction that has been:
(A) reversed;
(B) vacated;
(C) set aside;
(D) not entered because the trial court did not accept the
person's guilty plea; or
(E) expunged under IC 35-38-9; or
(3) a person's plea of guilty or nolo contendere at a guilty plea
hearing that is not accepted and entered by a trial court.
(d) A person is disqualified from assuming or being a candidate for
an elected office if:
(1) the person gave or offered a bribe, threat, or reward to procure
the person's election, as provided in Article 2, Section 6 of the
Constitution of the State of Indiana;
(2) the person does not comply with IC 5-8-3 because of a
conviction for a violation of the federal laws listed in that statute;
(3) in a:
(A) jury trial, a jury publicly announces a verdict against the
person for a felony;
(B) bench trial, the court publicly announces a verdict against
the person for a felony; or
(C) guilty plea hearing, the person pleads guilty or nolo
contendere to a felony;
(4) the person has been removed from the office the candidate
seeks under Article 7, Section 11 or Article 7, Section 13 of the
Constitution of the State of Indiana;
(5) the person is a member of the United States armed forces on
active duty and prohibited by the United States Department of
Defense from being a candidate;
(6) the person is subject to:
(A) 5 U.S.C. 1502 (the Little Hatch Act); or
(B) 5 U.S.C. 7321-7326 (the Hatch Act);
and would violate either federal statute by becoming or remaining
the candidate of a political party for nomination or election to an
elected office or a political party office;
(7) the person is a nonjudicial court employee who would violate
Rule 4.6 of the Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct by being the
candidate of a political party for nomination or election to an
elected office or a political party office; or
(8) the person is a full-time employee of the department of
homeland security prohibited from participating in political
activities under IC 10-14-3-26.
(e) The subsequent reduction of a felony to a Class A misdemeanor
under IC 35 after the:
(1) jury has announced its verdict against the person for a felony;
(2) court has announced its verdict against the person for a felony;
or
(3) person has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a felony;
does not affect the operation of subsection (d).
[Pre-1986 Recodification Citation: Ind. Const. Art. 2, §
6.]

Legislative History

As added by P.L.5-1986, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.3-1987, SEC.82; P.L.4-1991, SEC.32; P.L.3-1993, SEC.54; P.L.3-1997, SEC.114; P.L.176-1999, SEC.26; P.L.113-2005, SEC.1; P.L.37-2008, SEC.1; P.L.181-2014, SEC.1; P.L.74-2017, SEC.20; P.L.142-2020, SEC.3; P.L.193-2021, SEC.16; P.L.240-2025, SEC.16.