Issuance of recognized meeting permit or satellite facility license; voter approval; ballot form; certification of election results; second and subsequent public questions
Ind. Code § 4-31-4-3
in effectSec. 3. (a) This section does not apply to either of the following:
(1) A permit holder who satisfies all of the following:
(A) The permit holder was issued a permit before January 2, 1996.
(B) The permit holder conducted live racing before January 2, 1996.
(C) The permit holder is currently operating under the permit.
(2) A person who satisfies all of the following:
(A) The person was issued a satellite facility license before January 2, 1996.
(B) The person operated a satellite facility before January 2, 1996.
(C) The person is currently operating the satellite facility under the license.
(b) This section applies if either of the following apply:
(1) Both of the following are satisfied:
(A) An ordinance is adopted under section 2 or 2.5 of this chapter.
(B) The ordinance requires the voters of the county to approve either of the following:
(i) The conducting of horse racing meetings in the county.
(ii) The operation of a satellite facility in the county.
(2) A local public question is required to be held under section 2.7 of this chapter following the filing of a petition with the circuit court clerk:
(A) signed by at least the number of registered voters of the county required under IC 3-8-6-3 to place a candidate on the ballot; and
(B) requesting that the local public question set forth in subsection (d) be placed on the ballot.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the commission may not issue a recognized meeting permit under IC 4-31-5 to allow the conducting of or the assisting of the conducting of a horse racing meeting unless the voters of the county in which the property is located have approved conducting recognized meetings in the county.
(d) For a local public question required to be held under subsection (c), the county election board shall place the following question on the ballot in the county during the next general election:
"Shall horse racing meetings at which pari-mutuel wagering occurs be allowed in _____________ County?".
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the commission may not issue a satellite facility license under IC 4-31-5.5 to operate a satellite facility unless the voters of the county in which the satellite facility will be located approve the operation of the satellite facility in the county.
(f) For a local public question required to be held under subsection (e), the county election board shall place the following question on the ballot in the county during the next general election:
"Shall satellite facilities at which pari-mutuel wagering occurs be allowed in _____________ County?".
(g) A public question under this section must be certified in accordance with IC 3-10-9-3 and shall be placed on the ballot in accordance with IC 3-10-9.
(h) The circuit court clerk of a county holding an election under this chapter shall certify the results determined under IC 3-12-4-9 to the commission and the department of state revenue.
(i) If a public question is placed on the ballot under subsection (d) or (f) in a county and the voters of the county do not vote in favor of the public question, a second public question under that subsection may not be held in the county for at least two (2) years. If the voters of the county vote to reject the public question a second time, a third or subsequent public question under that subsection may not be held in the county until the general election held during the tenth year following the year of the previous public question held under that subsection.
As added by P.L.24-1996, SEC.6. Amended by P.L.3-1997, SEC.413.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/4Fetched: 10/17/2026