Tuesday’s primary to feature spirited local contests
Indiana’s first Election Day after pandemic-related complications comes Tuesday, and a few hotly contested primary races are in the spotlight.
Voting
Articles
GOP lawmakers vote remotely more often after initial scorn
More than 50 Republicans who once joined a lawsuit claiming the House’s pandemic-era proxy voting was unconstitutional have themselves voted by proxy this year, remotely without showing up.
GOP states, including Indiana, eye voting system upgrade
Tennessee Republican lawmakers are coming around on a paper-backed voting mandate. A similar scenario is playing out in some of the five other states — including Indiana — that do not currently have a voting system with a paper record.
National Urban League finds State of Black America is grim
The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9% of the American pie white people enjoy.
Federal judge makes traveling voter boards permissive, not mandatory, in win for blind, print-disabled voters
While the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana expressed it was “gravely concerned” about the current procedures in place for allowing blind and print-disabled Hoosiers to vote absentee, it determined it was only able to provide partial injunctive relief ahead of the May 2022 primary election. But disability rights organizations say the order puts an end to the country’s “most restrictive” rule regarding mandatory traveling voter boards for voters with print disabilities.
Senate Republicans strip down key Indiana House bills in second half of session
Republican leaders in the House and Senate said from the outset of the 2022 legislative session that they didn’t see eye to eye on some of the highest-profile issues — and the Senate proved that last week when it stripped key provisions from several House bills.
Indiana lawmakers turn down changes to mail-in voting rules
An Indiana legislative committee has turned aside a proposal that aimed to tighten the state law on the increasingly popular practice of voting by mail.
House, Senate remain at odds over tax, vaccine legislation at session’s halfway point
At the halfway point in this year’s legislative session, Republican leaders in the House and Senate continue to be at odds over the highest-profile issues of the session, including restrictions on employer vaccine mandates and tax cuts for businesses and individuals.
Indiana still has work to do to reach better civic health
Two years after undertaking specific steps to improve Hoosiers’ civic engagement, the Indiana Bar Foundation and its partners are celebrating advancements in the education arena but are also continuing to find challenges in getting voters to the polls.
Indiana House backs GOP bill tightening mail-in voting rules
The Indiana House approved along party lines Monday a Republican-backed proposal that would require voters who request mail-in ballots to swear under possible penalty of perjury that they won’t be able to vote in person at any time during the 28 days before Election Day.
New report shows Indiana’s civic health improving but chronic problems remain
After offering recommendations to improve the state’s civic health in 2019, the Indiana Bar Foundation and its partners recently took an assessment and found Hoosiers are excelling at improving civic education but continuing to stumble at increasing voter turnout.
GOP bill would tighten limits on Indiana mail-in voting
Democrats and voting rights activists are objecting to a Republican-backed proposal that would require Indiana voters who request mail-in ballots to swear under possible penalty of perjury that they won’t be able to vote in person at any time during the 28 days before Election Day.
Voting bill collapses, Democrats unable to change filibuster
Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is vital to protecting democracy collapsed when two senators refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster after a raw, emotional debate.
Sinema, Manchin slammed as Senate begins voting bill debate
Facing stark criticism from civil rights leaders, senators return to Capitol Hill under intense pressure to change their rules and break a Republican filibuster that has hopelessly stalled voting legislation.
Lawsuit challenging constitutionality of Indiana’s age limit on absentee voting proceeding in IN Southern District
Of the three lawsuits filed in 2020 challenging Indiana’s voting laws, one remains on the Southern Indiana District Court’s docket, with plaintiffs now seeking summary judgment to enable any eligible Hoosier, regardless of age, to cast an absentee ballot.
Schumer: Senate to vote on filibuster change on voting bill
Days before the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting legislation that Democrats say is needed to protect America’s democracy.
Federal court denies motion to sanction Indy attorney for Trump Wisconsin lawsuit
A district court in Wisconsin has rejected a bid by Wisconsin officials to recoup attorney fees from the Indianapolis law firm of Kroger Gardis & Regas for what the court called a “meritless case” of contesting how the November 2020 general election was conducted.
Ex-Indiana lawmaker seeks 2022 challenge to GOP Rep. Spartz
A Democratic former Indiana state legislator is looking to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in next year’s election.
Judge: US election official violated law in voter form case
A former high-ranking election official violated federal law in 2016 when he granted requests by Kansas, Georgia and Alabama to modify the national voter registration form to require documentary proof of citizenship in those states, a federal judge ruled.
Indiana AG urges Congress to not pass voting rights bill
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading an effort to derail the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, calling the legislation “misguided, clumsy and heavy-handed.”