Whitney Downard
CNHI Statehouse Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS – In contrast to the “tsunami” of bills nationwide restricting ballot access after the 2020 elections, voting bills in Indiana have yielded some “modest” steps forward, according to voting advocates and bill sponsors.

While Republican lawmakers in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma have filed bills limiting who can vote, Indiana’s voting bills have extended in-person, early voting hours and added certain tribal documents as acceptable forms of registration identification.

But Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, said that bills limiting voter access hadn’t been filed in Indiana because Indiana already had limited voting access.

“There’s been a lot of legislators across the United States that are moving to kind of restrict some of that,” Ford said. “I would say we are not seeing and hearing a lot of that in Indiana because that stuff has already been done.”

Unlike the vast majority of states, Indiana only expanded absentee, mail-in voting to all residents for the May primary and not the general election. Indiana law also doesn’t permit the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots but has one of the longest early voting periods in the country – allowing Hoosiers to vote in-person up to 28 days before an election.

Julia Vaughn, the policy director of Common Cause Indiana, said that barriers erected over the years, including early voting deadlines, confusing rules and different implementation from county to county, left the process in need of “common sense” reform.

“There’s just very little evidence that people are trying to tamper with these (absentee) ballots or run off with them,” Vaughn said. “(It’s) a very politically charged atmosphere. Unfortunately, all election reform issues are these days.”

The partisan divide over elections, pitting security against ballot access, exists in Indiana just like the rest of the country. While advocates and Democrats say voting should be easy for everyone, Republicans emphasize the need to protect elections from fraud.

On Tuesday, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that Holli Sullivan would serve as Indiana’s secretary of state for the rest of the retired Connie Lawson’s term. Formerly a state representative for Evansville, Sullivan declined to share her policy views beyond defending election security.

“I think Indiana has become a leader in election transparency and election integrity,” Sullivan said. “I, for one, am extremely confident in Indiana elections and I hope Hoosiers are too.”

MAIL-IN BALLOTS

Vaughn called the session’s 2021 progress “modest steps forward” but said it falls short of the reform needed in Indiana, especially mail-in voting.

“We could certainly make the argument that expanding mail-in voting is something that voters want,” said Vaughn. “But given the national climate and all of the misstatements, misinformation… it’s not surprising to me that (mail-in voting) was a no-go inside a statehouse where you’ve got a Republican supermajority.”

Ford pushed early in the session for his mail-in voting bill, Senate Bill 402, to be heard but it died in committee without a vote.

“I’m just always perplexed as to why we as voters have to give the state of Indiana a reason as to why we have to vote by absentee ballot,” Ford said.

But across the aisle, Republicans don’t seem as eager to pursue mail-in ballot expansion. Sullivan, who previously sat on the House Elections Committee, said she believed in “balance.”

“I think there is a strong balance between in-person and mail-in voting and I think that balance needs to be there,” Sullivan said. “But at this time, the matter is before the courts and I don’t feel I need to make any further comment.”

Sullivan declined to comment on specific bills at Tuesday’s press conference.

Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, chairs the House Committee on Elections and Apportionment and determines which House bills should be heard. He also said he didn’t believe in expanding absentee voting.

“I’m not in favor of expanding it beyond where it is presently. I have confidence in voting absentee by mail where it currently stands but I’m not in favor of no-excuse voting by absentee mail,” Wesco said. “In my view, if you can come in person and vote then you should come in person and vote. We give 28 days for that to occur.”

Senate Bill 353, scheduled to be heard before Wesco’s committee on March 23, would prohibit Indiana from adopting or expanding vote by mail.

Wesco said he favored early, in-person voting, carrying the bill that allows counties to open a satellite polling place on the third Saturday before the election.

“I’ve always been a big proponent of in-person, early voting,” Wesco said. “I think it lends itself the most to having confidence in our election process. It’s a very popular option. It’s getting to the point where I think, in the future, that’s going to be the most popular option. Even before voting on Election Day.”