As GOP lines up behind mid-cycle redistricting, voting rights advocates caution against ‘hasty’ maps
A small, but growing, number of Hoosier Republicans have voiced their support for a mid-cycle redistricting effort.
Elections
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Election vs. selection: An update on the dispute over Lake Superior Court judges
The dispute over judicial elections versus merit selection in Indiana’s most populous — and diverse — counties isn’t new, but it is ongoing. Right now, the debate seems to be centered on Lake County.
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‘I’ve been told I couldn’t vote’: Hoosiers with felony records, pretrial detainees still eligible to cast ballots
In the United States, an estimated 4.6 million Americans are ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a 2022 voting rights study conducted by The Sentencing Project. That’s equal to one out of every 50 American adults.
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Paper trail: Indiana’s push to create a paper backup for electronic voting machines drawing opposition
Groups that advocate for paper ballots and verifiable paper trails lobbied against the bill, HEA 1116, that calls for Indiana touch-screen voting machines to be retrofitted with devices that produce a paper printout.
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Attorneys in Statehouse work long hours to meet demands of lawyering, legislating
Many legal professionals see the enormous difficulty in running a successful law practice while being an effective legislator as the primary reason why more attorneys are not filling the seats in the Indiana House and Senate.
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Articles
Conservative network Newsmax agrees to pay $67M in defamation case over bogus 2020 election claims
The conservative network Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of defaming a voting equipment company by spreading lies about President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, according to documents filed Monday.
Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states
The unusually expansive outreach has raised alarm among some election officials because states have the constitutional authority to run elections and federal law protects the sharing of individual data with the government.
Musk says he’s forming new political party after split with Trump over tax cuts law
Elon Musk said he’s carrying out his threat to start a new political party after his fissure with President Donald Trump, announcing the America Party in response to the president’s sweeping tax cuts law.
Republican push for proof of citizenship to vote proves a tough sell in the states
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have made it a priority this year to require people to prove citizenship before they can register to vote. Turning that aspiration into reality has proved difficult.
Marion County election board to investigate Morales campaign ad
Secretary of State Diego Morales included footage that blended government resources and property with a partisan campaign in a manner that Indianapolis election officials believe could violate state law.
Trump order targets barcodes on ballots. They’ve long been a source of misinformation
President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to overhaul how U.S. elections are run includes a somewhat obscure reference to the way votes are counted.
Indiana elections chief defends voting ban on ‘unsecured’ student IDs after legal challenge
A news release from Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales asserted that the law ends the use of “unsecured” cards “that do not meet uniform security standards.”
Partisan school board bill narrowly avoids tie vote, goes to governor
Indiana is set to join the handful of states running partisan school board elections after a squeaker of a final vote Thursday—pending a decision from Republican Gov. Mike Braun.
Rokita, Morales file lawsuit, allege federal failure to help with voter ID verification
Attorney General Todd Rokita and Secretary of State Diego Morales have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the Indiana officials alleging the federal agency has failed to help verify the citizenship status of voters who registered in Indiana without providing state-issued forms of identification.
Senate sends vote center study, student ID voting ban, income tax cuts to governor
Twenty-eight lines instructing embattled Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales to analyze vote center and municipal election year changes ensnarled the Senate for almost 40 minutes Monday — but, after a 35-13 vote, the bill heads to the Gov. Mike Braun’s desk.
States sue to block Trump’s election order, saying it violates the Constitution
Democratic officials in 19 states filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to reshape elections across the U.S., calling it an unconstitutional invasion of states’ clear authority to run their own elections.
Bill adding Indiana to small group of states with partisan school board races squeaks by House
Legislation adding political party affiliations to Indiana’s currently nonpartisan school board elections got one step closer to law Monday, when it narrowly earned House approval.
Trump’s executive order on elections is far-reaching. But will it actually stick?
He wants to require voters to show proof that they are U.S. citizens before they can register for federal elections, count only mail or absentee ballots received by Election Day and more.
Trump signs executive order requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections
The order says the U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protections” and calls on states to work with federal agencies to share voter lists and prosecute election crimes.
Indiana elections chief joins call for federal upgrades to root out noncitizen voting
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales has joined 20 others in asking new Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for changes to a federal citizenship verification service—including that it be free to use.
Senate kills early voting cuts, closed primary bills
Hoosier voters can currently cast ballots in person for 28 days ahead of elections. Failed legislation would have cut that timeframe to two weeks.
Judge clears the way for release of special counsel Smith’s report on Trump’s 2020 election case
The Justice Department can publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case, a federal judge said Monday in the latest ruling in a court dispute over the highly anticipated document days before Trump is set to reclaim the White House.
Vance says Jan. 6 participants who committed violence ‘obviously’ shouldn’t be pardoned
Vice President-elect JD Vance says people responsible for the violence during the Capitol riot “obviously” should not be pardoned, as President-elect Donald Trump is promising to use his clemency power on behalf of many of those who tried on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn the results of the election that Trump lost.
Judge will weigh holding Giuliani in contempt of court after jury’s $148 million defamation award
A federal judge is set to hear arguments Friday on whether to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for continuing to spread lies about two Georgia election workers after they secured a $148 million defamation judgment against him.