By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Voting-rights groups on Monday said changes to a voting bill were an improvement, but more work is needed.
When a Republican-backed election security bill, House Bill 1116, arrived in the Senate Elections Committee on Monday morning, it included a major change to the state’s mail-in voting rules.
Currently, voters can ask for a mail-in absentee ballot if, on Election Day, they will be out of town, they will be working during the entire 12-hour polling period, or they can’t leave their homes due to illness or injury.
The bill included language stipulating that you could only ask for a mail-in ballot if those circumstances were true both on Election Day and during the 28-day early voting period. At the recommendation of Sen. Greg Walker (R-Columbus) the committee removed the language during the hearing, which means the rules for who can vote early would remain unchanged if the bill becomes law.
Walker said he would like to see Indiana adopt no-excuse early voting. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 27 states and the District of Columbia have already done so. Another eight states conduct elections entirely by mail.
“Absentee vote by mail is not going to go away,” Walker said. “We have those that are expatriates overseas. We have those that we just don’t have any other secure means to collect their ballot today.”
Voting rights advocates said the committee’s decision was an improvement, but they’re still concerned by another provision regarding absentee ballots: A requirement that anyone requesting a ballot online provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security Number to verify their identity.
Ami Gandhi, senior counsel for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, said this provision could further deter people from voting.
“We saw some of those most serious threats and proposals tamped down this morning but, unfortunately, there are still the threats of disenfranchisement present in this bill that moved forward,” Gandhi said.
The bill also moves up to July 2024 the deadline for counties to have verifiable paper trails for electronic voting machines.
The measure still would have to get through the full Senate, which could amend it further, after which the House would have to decide whether to accept the Senate’s changes.
Sen. Ford’s statement on bill’s amendment
Editor’s note: Sen. J.D. Ford serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Elections Committee. He made the following statement after the Committee adopted the amendment to HB 1116.
Ford
“I’m thankful for the bipartisan opposition to the extreme efforts to limit absentee mail-in voting.
“The amended HB 1116 is a significantly improved bill. Our current restrictions on mail-in voting are already unenforceable, we should be moving towards a no-excuse vote-by-mail system.
“I agree with Senator Greg Walker’s (R-Columbus) support for Marion County’s ballot-tracking technology as a safe and secure way to administer mail-in voting. I’d also like to thank my colleagues for their support of my amendment.
“This bill is improved from the House-passed version, but still has issues that need to be addressed. I will continue to work with my colleagues to improve the bill as it moves through the process.”
Sen. Ford represents Indiana Senate District 29 which encompasses Boone County’s Eagle Township, Hamilton County’s Clay Township, and Marion County. Marion County communities include Pike and Wayne townships. For more information on Sen. Ford’s legislative agenda or other State Senate business call 1-800-382-9467 or visit indianasenatedemocrats.org/s29.