Indiana voting rights advocates sue over ‘unnecessary’ proof of citizenship laws, cite ‘stale’ data

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Voting rights advocates and a refugee resettlement agency on Tuesday sued to pause enforcement of Indiana’s recently enacted proof of citizenship efforts, which they allege violate federal voter registration and civil rights laws.

The plaintiffs — League of Women Voters of Indiana, Common Cause Indiana, Hoosier Asian American Power and Exodus Refugee Immigration — also sought information on the Hoosiers affected.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Indiana’s Southern District. It names Secretary of State Diego Morales as a defendant, along with Indiana Election Division Co-Directors Bradley King and Angela Nussmeyer.

“Since July 1, 2025, Indiana has started to enforce laws that rely on stale, error-ridden data and demand that only certain U.S. citizens produce documentary proof of citizenship to register or to remain registered to vote,” the complaint reads.

It goes on to allege the requirements “risk disenfranchising eligible Hoosier voters” who are naturalized citizens, or who derived citizenship through their parents’ naturalization.

One of the statutes, 2024’s House Enrolled Act 1264, requires designated National Voter Registration Act officials — King and Nussmeyer — to compare the state voter rolls with an Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles database to identify registered voters who hold temporary driver’s licenses or identification cards.

The other, 2025’s House Enrolled Act 1680, applies to those who register to vote with temporary credential numbers.

Under both laws, county election officials send notices to flagged Hoosiers, who have 30 days to provide proof of citizenship. Otherwise, under the first law, they’re stripped from the voter rolls, and under the second, their registration applications are rejected.

The plaintiffs allege the laws violate the NVRA and Civil Rights Act because they discriminate against naturalized and derived citizens. The statutes also demand information that isn’t “equivalent” to federal requirements, they wrote.

The complaint notes that neither federal nor state law requires people who become citizens to update their temporary credentials. The driver’s licenses or ID cards can be valid for up to six years after they’re issued.

That means qualified voters can be flagged, according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs also argued that it can be expensive and take more than 30 days to obtain proof of citizenship, which can include naturalization documentation or verified naturalization number, a U.S. passport, a birth certificate and more.

Getting proof can also require taking time off work to travel long distances and wait long hours — other reasons voters may “giv(e) up,” the plaintiffs wrote.

The organizations complained they’ve had to spend time and money “cleaning up the mess” by educating and helping affected voters.

They seek temporary and permanent injunctions to stop enforcement.

The complaint additionally accuses the defendants of not providing records requested under the NVRA.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.

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