Thursday, October 10, 2024
With the 2024 General Election less than a month away, Hoosiers deserve to know their elections are fair, safe and secure.
In recent years, Senate Republicans have supported many laws to improve election integrity and security in Indiana.
To improve election integrity, one new law provides more tools to help county clerks identify registered voters who may be ineligible or hold inaccurate records and helps clerks take steps to update, confirm or repeal their registration. This helps ensure all ballots are cast by people who are legally eligible to vote in Indiana.
Indiana has had a strong voter ID law on the books for in-person voting for years, but to address security concerns related to absentee voting, the General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act 1334 into law in 2023.
This law bolstered the security and integrity of the vote-by-mail process by helping ensure applicants for absentee ballots verify their identity. Additionally, HEA 1334 prohibits state and local government officials from mailing unsolicited absentee ballot applications to voters and creates a uniform procedure for county clerks to have an absentee ballot application corrected by the voter. The intent of this law is to ensure local governments are not mass-mailing unsolicited absentee ballot applications using taxpayer dollars.
Finally, in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), voters have a right to know what is real and what has been fabricated in campaign advertisements. House Enrolled Act 1133 increases transparency for voters by requiring campaigns to label advertisements if they include fake images, audio or video made with AI.
Hoosiers should feel confident their vote will be counted among other valid ballots, in addition to knowing their elections are safe and secure. That is why Senate Republicans support these laws as well as other measures to ensure the security and integrity of Indiana's elections.
Hoosiers should also remain vigilant and not fall for election-related scam emails and text messages regarding an invalid voter registration. If you or someone you know has a concern about the legitimacy of communication regarding voter registration, visit IndianaVoters.com, contact the Indiana Secretary of State’s Election Division, or contact your local county clerk.