Indiana was recognized as an All-Star state by the Military Voter Protection Project for taking significant efforts to promote and protect the voting rights of America’s military service members and their families.

“Military members and their families make great sacrifices for our country, including relocating to military bases away from home and even overseas,” said Secretary of State Connie Lawson. “My office strives to ensure Hoosier military members and their families have access to cast their ballot from wherever the job takes them because every member of the community deserves to have their voice heard.”

In analyzing these states, the MVP Project looked at a number of factors, including:

• The state’s efforts to work with and reach out to local military installations and National Guard units on a proactive basis to provide on-base voter assistance
• Its use of electronic and web-based services to send election materials
• Its willingness to create specialized communications to military voters either through public service announcements or web-based announcements
• The state’s legislative efforts to eliminate barriers to military voter participation
• Its track record of making sure that absentee military ballots are sent out no later than 45-days before the election and, when they are not, a high degree of accountability to resolve any violations.

Indiana was recognized as an All-Star state by the Military Voter Protection Project, in addition to: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

“The Indiana Secretary of State’s Office has made military members and their spouses a top priority.  These efforts have made a big difference in our military’s ability to vote,” said Eric Eversole, founder and executive director of the Military Voter Protection Project.

For more information about the Military Voter Protection Project’s Heroes Vote Initiative or to view details about the MVP Project All-Star states, please visit www.heroesvote.org/.