Lawmakers in the Indiana General Assembly did not advance two election bills, SB201 and SB284, this week, effectively letting them die without a second reading.
SB201 proposed closing Indiana’s primaries, which would have impacted independent voters, who constitute at least 25% of the electorate. This bill aimed to limit their participation in primary elections, particularly in areas where these are the only competitive contests due to gerrymandered districts.
SB284 sought to reduce the state’s early voting period from 28 days to 14 days. Early voting is popular in Indiana, with long lines observed in many counties during this period. Reducing the time frame was expected to exacerbate these lines and increase challenges for poll workers.
Julia Vaughn, Executive Director of Common Cause Indiana, expressed relief over the bills’ failure. She stated: “Hoosier voters do not want their voice, or their rights, limited at the ballot box. They want options in primary elections and plenty of time for early voting, so seeing attempts to change these election policies fail to advance is cause for celebration. Common Cause Indiana will continue to work to increase voter participation in Indiana elections and fight against attempts to limit voting rights through policy changes, strict ID requirements or targeted actions to certain groups of Hoosier voters.”
