10 IU programs have reached 100% voter registration

Hoosier athletes will be headed to the polls in November.

The university announced Monday that every player from 10 teams in the athletic department have registered to vote in the Nov. 3 election. Those programs include football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, field hockey, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, water polo, softball and rowing.

IU’s drive to register athletes is part of a broader, non-partisan Big Ten Voter Registration Initiative that the conference rolled out in June. Locally, IU’s Excellence Academy has offered resources to inform Indiana athletes on the voting process and where they can go to evaluate candidates.

“We were very on top of that,” IU football coach Tom Allen said about his program. “I really commend (cornerback) coach Brandon Shelby and (running backs coach) Mike Hart, as they came together and took ownership of that. I just want our guys to execute their right and their privilege to vote in our democracy. We never tell them who to vote for, but we challenge them to study, know the issues and vote for the person or individual that you believe represents what you want. It is very important. I know this has been a national emphasis, but we have really taken that to heart here. Our guys have gotten into that, like they should.

“The Big Ten Conference has made it so that we all have the opportunity to exercise our right to vote. This is very important, so this is something that we have been very aggressive with in regards to getting our players squared away. Most of our guys are (from) out of state, so that is not a simple process to go through. I am encouraged by the way they have responded to that.”

The election is four weeks from Tuesday. Monday is the final day for Indiana residents to register.