Voting - The Indiana Lawyer

7th Circuit affirms restrictions on absentee voting; judge stays injunction in noon deadline case

October 7, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

The effort to allow all Hoosiers to vote by absentee ballot in the November presidential election has been blocked by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals which, in an echo of the state’s argument, found Election Day is too close to make any changes now. In a separate case, a judge temporarily stayed pending appeal an order blocking an Indiana law that requires absentee ballots be received by noon to be counted.

High court reinstates S. Carolina ballot witness requirement

October 6, 2020 | Associated Press

The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday reinstated a requirement that South Carolina residents voting by mail in November’s election get a witness to sign their ballots.

AG candidate profile: Weinzapfel says attorney general should be about policy, not politics

October 6, 2020 | Lindsey Erdody, Indianapolis Business Journal

Democratic former Evansville Mayor and lawmaker Jonathan Weinzapfel said if elected attorney general, his actions would be based on policy, not politics, and Hoosiers’ best interests. Read Weinzapfel’s recent Q&A with Indiana Lawyer’s sibling publication, the Indianapolis Business Journal.

AG candidate profile: Rokita says he’ll be an ‘aggressive’ attorney general

October 6, 2020 | Lindsey Erdody, Indianapolis Business Journal

Republican former Congressman and Secretary of State Todd Rokita vows to continue a conservative approach but would emphasize partnerships if elected attorney general. Read what Rokita had to say in a recent Q&A with Indiana Lawyer’s sibling publication, the Indianapolis Business Journal.

AG Hill appeals ruling blocking noon Election Day absentee receipt law

October 5, 2020 | Dave Stafford

Attorney General Curtis Hill’s office is appealing a judge’s ruling that absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 must be counted. Meanwhile, the state acknowledged in its filing that election officials are taking steps to count those ballots if the judge’s order stands.

Facing a conservative turn, Supreme Court opens new term

October 5, 2020 | Associated Press

The Supreme Court opens Monday a new term with Republicans on the cusp of realizing a dream 50 years in the making, a solid conservative majority that might roll back abortion rights, expand gun rights and shrink the power of government.

Mail-in voting advocates alert 7th Circuit to dispute with state’s argument

October 2, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

Plaintiffs in Indiana’s vote by mail case are questioning the state’s assertion made this week in oral arguments to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that Hoosiers can request a special exemption from the Indiana Election Commission to cast an absentee ballot if they do not meet one of the law’s categories of who may vote by mail.

7th Circuit judges ask about Indiana voters in vote by mail case

October 1, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

During oral argument in the dispute over Indiana’s restrictions on absentee voting, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel focused on Hoosier voters by asking which of the proposed remedies would cause the least confusion and what remedies are currently available to the electorate.

Trump thrusts Supreme Court pick Barrett into election turmoil

October 1, 2020 | Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s stark expectation that the Supreme Court will intervene to “look at the ballots” in what he calls a rigged election cast new questions Wednesday on the Senate’s rush to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the vacant seat before Nov. 3.

Challenges to Indiana voting laws pile up in 7th Circuit, which will livestream one today

September 30, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

Indiana’s prohibition against no-excuse absentee voting goes before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday afternoon, with the plaintiffs trying to convince the appellate panel to reverse the district judge’s ruling and allow all registered Hoosier voters to cast their ballots by mail in the Nov. 3 presidential election. The federal appeals court will livestream oral arguments in the case.

Southern District Court to discuss suffrage at history symposium

September 30, 2020 | IL Staff

The struggle for women’s suffrage in Indiana will take center stage at the 13th annual Court History and Continuing Legal Education Symposium next month in the second presentation of a three-part symposium hosted by the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Federal judge blocks Indiana’s noon deadline for receiving mail-in ballots

September 30, 2020 | Indianapolis Business Journal Staff and IL Staff

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a state law that declares mail-in absentee ballots late and invalid if they aren’t received by noon on Election Day.

State opposes ‘last minute change’ to polling hours law

September 29, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

The state of Indiana is trying to stop a federal judge’s ruling that would allow Hoosier voters themselves to go to state court and file for an extension of polling hours if problems arise with balloting on Election Day.

Indiana Citizen leads effort to get young Hoosiers registered to vote

September 29, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

With the voter registration deadline looming, The Indiana Citizen has launched a digital advertising campaign designed to get more 18- and 19-year-old Hoosiers registered for the November presidential election.

Suit: Challenged law may invalidate tens of thousands of Indiana mail-in ballots

September 24, 2020 | Dave Stafford

An estimated 10,000 Hoosiers’ mail-in absentee ballots were rejected as “late” during Indiana’s 2020 primary election under a disputed Indiana law, suggesting multiple times more ballots may be thrown out in the Nov. 3 general election, groups challenging the law in federal court contend.

Judge blocks Indiana law restricting who may seek polling hour extension

September 23, 2020 | IL Staff

A federal judge has blocked a 2019 Indiana law restricting who may seek to extend polling-place hours due to conditions that prevent voters from casting a ballot.

Birch Bayh’s bid to end Electoral College recalled at IU McKinney lecture

September 23, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

At the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law 2020 Birch Bayh Lecture, journalist and author Jesse Wegman recounted the late Sen. Birch Bayh’s nearly successful attempt at abolishing the Electoral College and letting Americans elect the president directly.

FBI director testifies antifa is an ideology, not an organization

September 18, 2020 | Associated Press

FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, delivering testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group.

U.S. judge blocks Postal Service changes that slowed mail

September 18, 2020 | Associated Press

A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election.

Indiana vote-by-mail appeal brief warns of ‘confusing and chaotic’ election scenario

September 17, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

Plaintiffs in the battle to expand no-excuse absentee voting in Indiana before the Nov. 3 general election filed their reply brief Wednesday, arguing the state’s suggestion of requiring all Hoosiers to vote in-person, regardless of age, would create a “more confusing and chaotic outcome.”

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