Current:Home > reviewsIndiana Legislature approves bill adding additional verification steps to voter registration -Blueprint Wealth Network
Indiana Legislature approves bill adding additional verification steps to voter registration
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:03:21
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers passed legislation Thursday that expands the power of the state to verify voters’ addresses and adds an additional residency requirement for first-time voters.
The bill’s Republican sponsor state Sen. Mike Gaskill called it a “commonsense bill” that adds protections against fraud, but voting advocates have blasted the changes as new hurdles for people seeking to legally cast their ballots.
The bill passed the state Senate on a 34-13 vote, largely along party lines, sending it to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his review.
Indiana voters are already required to show photo ID when casting a ballot, and a law passed last year that tightened mail-in voting requirements in the state.
Under the bill, residents who are new voters in Indiana would have to provide proof of residency when registering in person, unless they submit an Indiana driver’s license or social security number that matches an Indiana record.
Voting advocates have said the provision adds hurdles to the process for college students, homeless people and the elderly who may not have traditional utility bills, as well as people who just moved to the state.
Additionally, the new bill would allow the state to contract with third-party vendors who supply credit data. The data would be cross referenced with voter registration records to identify possible residence changes and any voters registered at nonresidential addresses.
If the state identifies a voter registration at a nonresidential address, the bill outlines a process to investigate the discrepancy. If unresolved, the voter could eventually be removed from registration.
Opponents say out-of-date or inaccurate credit data could result in some voters eventually losing their registration status.
The bill also requires officials to cross reference the state’s voter registration system with data from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The intent is to identify any noncitizens enrolled in the voter registration system, something voting advocates in Indiana say does not exist.
National researchers also have found few instances but former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have continued to make the unsupported claim.
Indiana law already forbids noncitizens from registering to vote.
The bill says an individual found unlawfully on the voter registration system would have 30 days to provide proof of citizenship to the county voter registration office or face the cancellation of their registration. It does not specify how often the state will cross check the bureau data or how often the bureau data on temporary identification cards is updated.
Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford told lawmakers called the timeline to prove citizenship too narrow of a timeframe.
If signed by the governor, the bill will go into effect July 1.
veryGood! (45535)
Related
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reinforces her dedication to Black reclamation — and country music
- Draymond Green ejected less than four minutes into Golden State Warriors' game Wednesday
- What to know about Purdue center Zach Edey: Height, weight, more
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Score 60% off Lounge Underwear and Bras, $234 Worth of Clinique Makeup for $52, and More Deals
- A timeline of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
- Sheryl Crow talks Stevie Nicks, Olivia Rodrigo and why AI in music 'terrified' her
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- The White House expects about 40,000 participants at its ‘egg-ucation'-themed annual Easter egg roll
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Judge rejects officers’ bid to erase charges in the case of a man paralyzed after police van ride
- Two women injured in shooting at Virginia day care center, police say
- Civil rights icon Malcolm X gets a day of recognition in Nebraska, where he was born in 1925
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- With hot meals and donations, Baltimore residents 'stand ready to help' after bridge collapse
- 4 dead, 7 injured after stabbing attack in northern Illinois; suspect in custody
- Two bodies recovered from vehicle underwater at Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site
Recommendation
Sam Taylor
Kentucky Senate approves expanding access to paid family leave
Video shows 'Cop City' activists chain themselves to top of 250-foot crane at Atlanta site
Last coal-burning power plant in New England set to close in a win for environmentalists
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Cardi B Reveals the Fashion Obstacles She's Faced Due to Her Body Type
Four students arrested and others are suspended following protest at Vanderbilt University
Republican-passed bill removes role of Democratic governor if Senate vacancy occurs in Kentucky