INDIANAPOLIS — A bill to safeguard Indiana’s elections by limiting voter access to absentee ballots passed the House 66-28, with zero Republican members voting against the legislation.
Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, said the bill would move up the date for verified paper audit trails for voting machines to July 1, 2024, rather than Dec. 31, 2029, and requires counties to enter into a security agreement with the secretary of state’s office by the end of 2022.
“This bill increases voter confidence in our elections,” Wesco said. “This bill helps ensure that those requesting absentee ballots and completing them are actually who they say they are.”
The bill would also make it more difficult for Hoosiers to vote absentee by mail. Under House Bill 1116, voters must attest that they are unable to vote during all of the days available for early, in-person voting and on Election Day.
Previously, absentee ballots were permitted for those who had conflicts with Election Day and didn’t inquire about early voting days. Counties vary on how many days they offer early voting and at what locations but may offer up to 28 days of early voting.
House Speaker Todd Huston, making a rare appeal for the bill, said that with 28 days of voting, Hoosiers had plenty of time to get to the polls.
“I was much more sympathetic to life getting in the way when it was Election Day. I’m a little less sympathetic to life being in the way when it’s election month,” said Huston, R-Fishers.
Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, read from the 2021 Indiana Civic Health Index from the Indiana Bar Foundation, which ranked Indiana 46th in the nation for voter turnout.
Rather than arranging for time to vote, getting child care and finding transportation to the polls, Pfaff said, potential voters just wouldn’t cast their ballot.
“Indiana should aspire to increase voting turnout substantially with the goal of moving from the bottom 10 to the top 10 of states,” Pfaff said. “Passing this bill will only make absentee ballot voting harder and inevitably lead to our voter turnout decreasing even further.”
The bill passed the House on third reading and moves to the Senate for further consideration.
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