Indiana lawmakers kill two voting bills, but one lives on
Indiana lawmakers have decided—for now, at least—to abandon two bills that might have sealed Indiana's position as worst in the nation for voter turnout. The first would have imposed a strict new party requirement for voting in a primary election. As ReCenter Indiana has noted, the primary often determines who gets elected in the fall. The second would have cut in half the early voting period. But another* new restriction is still working its way toward becoming law.
* Indiana lawmakers are still trying to prohibit use of student IDs to verify the identity of someone who is already registered to vote. As a Capital Chronicle commentary points out, "They have been accepted for decades and now Republicans have a problem with them -- without a single example of misdeeds offered up."
Senate kills early voting cuts, closed primary bills — and backtracks on municipal election changes
Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, shuffles through materials while looking at a slideshow during an interim committee on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Feb. 20, 2025