The INGOP’s civil war continues as the supermajority attacked Governor Holcomb’s choice to prioritize public safety during an election
Senate Bill 353 would force Hoosiers who may not have access to a driver’s license or social security number to lose out on their American right to vote
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today slammed the Indiana Republican Party for shoving through new measures to further restrict the voting program that was used to protect Hoosiers during the COVID-19 pandemic: the state’s absentee voting program. Yesterday, the Indiana Senate Elections Committee voted 7-2 on Senate Bill 353, which could force voters to provide yet another step of verification — such as a voter providing their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number — in order to receive an absentee ballot.
The move to disenfranchise Indiana’s voters who may not have access to a driver’s license or their social security number is a hyper-partisan power play aimed at Governor Eric Holcomb, who initially did the right thing and prioritized an absentee mail program during the 2020 primary elections. However, former president Donald Trump’s rejection of absentee ballots prompted Holcomb to quit this common sense practice for the general election, forcing Hoosiers to put their lives at risk.
“The Indiana Republican Party is hellbent on not only restricting voting rights for Hoosiers but attacking a Republican governor who put the health and safety of voters ahead of partisan rhetoric a year ago,” said Lauren Ganapini, executive director of the Indiana Democratic Party. “Senate Bill 353 was originally a wishlist of an Indiana Republican Party that no longer values American democracy and the fundamental right to vote in our free and fair election process. This rhetorical grandstanding is just yet another reason why voters have grown disgusted with the INGOP.”
Senate Bill 353 would also prevent Governor Eric Holcomb from moving Indiana’s elections without approval from the Indiana General Assembly. The bill is similar to other forms of legislation aimed at curtailing the executive powers of Indiana’s chief executive, a partisan maneuver that only publicly displays the ongoing civil war within the Indiana Republican Party.
Further, Senate Bill 353 originally had a line item drafted which would have required Hoosiers to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote for future elections. The effort was universally panned in other states and follows a dangerous rhetoric once deployed by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and the former Trump Administration.
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