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Governor signs bill to remove more people from voter rolls, which could violate federal law

A lawn sign outside a polling place reads "Official Voting Site" and gives the hours the site is open.
Lauren Chapman
/
IPB News
Supporters of a bill that gives the state and local election officials more tools to remove people from the voter rolls say the measure will help further strengthen Indiana's election system.

Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill Monday that critics say violates federal law when it comes to removing people from the voter rolls.

The controversial measure requires the state to compare voter registration to Bureau of Motor Vehicles data on credentials given to noncitizens. People flagged by that comparison would have to show proof of citizenship to their county election officials within 30 days in order to be able to vote.

Immigration attorneys say that proof is difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain within 30 days. And the BMV data is often out-of-date.

The citizenship provision won’t take effect until July of 2025.

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HEA 1264 also allows the state to buy people’s credit information, to compare it to voter data and flag potential mismatches. Similarly, the state will search the voter list for people whose addresses appear to be nonresidential. County election officials must then further investigate to ensure people are appropriately registered where they live.

Supporters said the legislation will help further strengthen Indiana's election system.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.