Despite secure state elections, Indiana Republicans like Erin Houchin and Tim Wesco have pushed legislation to curtail access to the ballot following 2020 presidential election
ICYMI: Jim Baird, Jim Banks, Greg Pence, and Jackie Walorski all voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today added its name to the effort to protect an American’s constitutional right to vote in future city, state, and federal elections. With Republicans like Jim Baird, Jim Banks, Greg Pence, and Jackie Walorski all voting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, the Indiana Democratic Party believes American democracy is in jeopardy. The Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are the solutions to strengthen democracy and protect the American values Hoosiers cherish.
The Indiana Republican Party does not share these same American values. Since the 2020 elections, Republicans like State Senator Erin Houchin and State Representative Timothy Wesco introduced state legislation that would diminish a Hoosier’s right to vote – despite the state’s top election official confirming the state’s 2020 elections were safe and secure. The Indiana GOP – just like the rest of their culture war agenda – proves to be more about their extreme partisanship rather than creating a better future for Hoosiers.
“Data and even the state’s top election official – a Republican – confirmed the 2020 presidential election was safe and secure. Yet despite those facts, the Indiana Republican Party is still pushing a partisan agenda that would cut Hoosiers’ constitutional right to vote in future elections. They even tried to overturn the recent presidential election results,” said Drew Anderson, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Unfortunately, we live in an era where Indiana Republicans view their partisanship – not the Constitution – as their north star. There’s no amount of common sense or facts that will steer Republicans away from their extreme partisanship, and this very fact is why a Democrat must win the Secretary of State election in 2022 – because democracy is literally on the line in future elections.”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Indiana GOP’s Partisan Effort to Block a Hoosier’s Right to Vote
2022 – House Bill 1220
Bill reads: “Provides that an absentee ballot application must request that the applicant include: (1) the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number; and (2) one of the following: (A) The applicant’s Indiana driver’s license number. (B) The applicant’s Indiana identification card number for nondrivers. (C) The unique identifying number assigned to the applicant’s voter registration record in the computerized list. Requires a county election board to deny an absentee ballot application if the county election board cannot match at least one of the numbers with the applicant’s voter’s registration record.”
2021 – Senate Bill 353
IndyStar: Indiana bill would require voter to provide ID when applying online for absentee ballot
“A Republican-authored Senate bill that adds identification requirements to vote by mail and limits who can alter how elections are held will head to the House floor for a full vote, but with significant changes.” […]
Senate Bill 353 comes a year after Gov. Eric Holcomb and the bipartisan Indiana Election Commission moved the 2020 primary from May 5 to June 2 due to the burgeoning coronavirus pandemic. The commission also unanimously agreed to eliminate eligibility requirements to vote by mail in the primary, opening the option up to all voters.
Bill author Sen. Erin Houchin, R-Salem, doesn’t want that to happen again, at least not at the hands of any executive. Instead, she and supporters say the General Assembly should be the only body authorized to make statewide changes to elections.”
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