With the Indiana General Assembly in session, the League of Women Voters of Hamilton County has joined the state league in monitoring bills that could affect voting procedures and policies, issues that concerned voters during last year’s election cycle.
“All voters should care about election process bills in regard to their rights to participate and voting accessibility,” said Patrice Waidner, voting services director for the League of Women Voters of Indiana and Hamilton County league board member. “The League of Women Voters had hoped to see an increase of absentee mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes and expanded poll hours.”
None of the bills that addressed those three issues moved beyond committee hearings. But two bills related to voting are in the second stage. Senate Bill 353 would prohibit an election committee from instituting or expanding the use of absentee or mail-in ballots or changing times and dates of elections. It also would require applicants for absentee ballots to include a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
House Bill 1365 addresses several election issues, ranging from absentee ballot use during declared disasters to ensuring voting systems have features to detect unauthorized software.
Waidner said the league encourages people to follow the remaining bills that address voting and to make their voices heard. Use the Indiana General Assembly website to stay informed:
- Watch the action: The site lists activity in real time, including a feature to watch action on the bills or recorded videos of discussions. To access videos, look on the right immediately under the calendar.
- Find a bill: To find the latest info about a specific bill, find the search feature in the upper right-hand corner, but click on the “bills” tab. Enter the bill number to get the details or use keywords. To find bills of special interest, use “committees” and search by keywords, such as “election” or “voting.” Not sure about the process? Check out How a Bill Becomes Law to learn the basics.
- Find your legislators: Use the same method but click on the “legislators” tab. Enter the name, click search and see a list of bills sponsored or co-sponsored by that legislator. You also can search by district number or party name. Don’t know your legislators? Use https://wayeo.egis.39dn.com/ to search by your street address to see who represents your area at the federal, state and local levels.
- Voice your opinion: On the legislators’ pages, you’ll see a button on the left to email that legislator with your thoughts on proposed bills.
The League of Women Voters, formed in 1920, is a nonpartisan organization that encourages participation in government and works to increase understanding of public policy issues. If you have questions, contact the League of Women Voters of Hamilton County at lwvhc@gmail.com, learn more at lwvhcin.org or follow the group’s Facebook page.