Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024
Though much remains to be settled, there’s a good chance congressional districts will be changing in numerous states.
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Ballot access issues surviving court challenges ahead of 2024 elections: Minor parties, absentee voting at issue
Election-related lawsuits have challenged Indiana laws as they relate to ballot access for both candidates and voters. Decisions in those cases handed down in recent months have been mostly favorable to existing Indiana law.
Backers blast approved ballot language for Ohio’s fall abortion amendment as misleading
The Ohio Ballot Board approved language Thursday for a fall measure seeking to establish abortion access as a fundamental right, but one Democratic member blasted it as “rife with misleading and defective language.”
Indiana law allowing voters over 65 to vote by mail not unconstitutional, 7th Circuit affirms
By granting older voters the right to vote by mail, Indiana is not abridging the right to vote of those under the age of 65 and does not violate the 26th Amendment, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in affirming a district court decision.
Changes in state election laws have little impact on results, new study finds
A new study by two political scientists is causing a stir by finding that state legislators’ changes to election laws — both those that tighten election rules in the name of integrity, and those that loosen rules to expand access — have almost no impact on which side wins.
Indiana ACLU executive director Henegar to retire
Jane Henegar, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, plans to retire from her position by Jan. 1 after more than a decade leading the organization.
Closed primary system constitutional, doesn’t violate man’s right to vote, COA affirms
Tippecanoe County’s closed primary voting system is constitutional and does not violate a man’s right to vote, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled Thursday in affirming a trial court’s granting of summary judgment to the state.
Supreme Court rejects novel legislative theory but leaves door open for 2024 election challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court shot down a controversial legal theory that could have changed the way elections are run across the country but left the door open to more limited challenges that could increase its role in deciding voting disputes in 2024.
SCOTUS rules state courts can play role in policing federal elections
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that North Carolina’s top court did not overstep its bounds in striking down a congressional districting plan as excessively partisan under state law.
The Supreme Court’s biggest decisions are coming. Here’s what they could say
The U.S. Supreme Court is getting ready to decide some of its biggest cases of the term. The high court has 10 opinions left to release over the next week before the justices begin their summer break.
New voting districts could change again in some states before the 2024 elections
The 2022 elections marked the first using new voting districts drawn from updated census data. Those districts typically last for a decade, but they could be short-lived in some states.
Both sides seeking summary judgment under Voting Rights Act, Indiana Constitution in suit challenging appointment of Lake Co. judges
Competing motions for summary judgment are seeking to resolve the litigation against Lake County’s merit-based judicial selection process.
Supreme Court rules in favor of Black Alabama voters in unexpected defense of Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two conservative justices joining liberals in rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.
Supreme Court tossed out the heart of Voting Rights Act a decade ago. Next ruling could go further
Justices are expected to rule in the coming weeks in a case out of Alabama that could make it much more difficult for minority groups to sue over allegedly gerrymandered political maps that dilute their representation.
Former Vice President Pence files paperwork launching 2024 presidential bid in challenge to Trump
Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork Monday declaring his campaign for president in 2024, setting up a challenge to his former boss, Donald Trump.
Mike Pence will launch his presidential campaign in Iowa on June 7
Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his long-expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.
Almost half of midterm voters cast ballots early or by mail
Almost half of all voters in the 2022 midterm elections cast their ballots before Election Day either by mail or through early voting, with Asian and Hispanic voters leading the way, according to new data the U.S. Census Bureau released Tuesday.
Indiana governor signs bill easing birth control access
Women in Indiana will be able to obtain birth control without a doctor’s prescription under a bill signed into law Monday, which grants broader access to contraception months after the Republican-dominated Legislature enacted a statewide abortion ban.
A look at key issues during Indiana’s legislative session
The Indiana General Assembly concluded the year’s regular session early Friday. Here are some key issues debated during the nearly four-month session.
Blind, print disabled voters get new absentee ballot tool
A settlement announced in February will allow Hoosiers who are blind or who have print disabilities to vote independently without the assistance of another person through the use of a new accessible, electronic absentee ballot tool.