Latest news with #IndianaElectionDivision
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oath of ballot counter bill dies after House committee hearing
A bill requiring the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots to be sent to the state election division died after a hearing in the House Elections and Apportionment committee. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, authored Senate Bill 186, which would require the circuit court clerk to give a copy of each oath counter on provisional ballots to the election division no later than 30 days after the election. Chairman of the House Elections and Apportionment committee Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, offered an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement for the circuit court clerk to transmit a copy of each oath taken by a ballot counter for the 2024 election. The amendment was adopted unanimously during a March House Elections and Apportionment committee meeting. The bill was held during the March 26 committee meeting and was not heard in committee after that. Dernulc said the bill died after officials determined it created 'duplicative work.' 'I was disappointed it didn't get a vote,' Dernulc said. 'All I wanted to do was to make it transparent. I wasn't able to convince (Wesco), so I'll do more work next year.' In drafting the bill, Dernulc previously said he worked with Secretary of State Diego Morales and Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division. Dernulc previously testified that he authored the bill after residents came to him to talk about more transparency in the election process. 'They would like to see a little more transparency, that's all,' Dernulc previously said. 'There's nothing that anybody's doing that's adversarial or bad, just a little more transparency into it.' Indiana Election Division Democratic co-general counsel Matthew Kochevar testified in committee that he opposed the bill because people can file a FOIA request to see provisional ballot signatures at their local election office, which is easier than traveling to Indianapolis to see the signatures. When the bill was heard in the House committee, Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the bill was drafted because of a records request filed in the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration office. The Lake County election office 'experienced, from the perspective of the Republican assistant director at that time, difficulty in responding to public records requests for oaths of the provisional ballot counters,' King said. 'The bill before you comes from the actual experience that the individual had in providing those records upon request,' King said. 'It's not unprecedented. It mirrors a provision in current law.' Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman sent a letter April 1 to legislators to inform them that she opposed the bill and that Lake County never received the FOIA in question. Fajman wrote that she spoke with LeAnn Angerman, the former assistant director, who told her that she did not recall receiving a FOIA request for provisional ballots. Further, Fajman said in the letter that her office staff checked FOIA records between November 2024 to February 2025, since the bill referenced the 2024 general election, and no provisional ballot FOIA requests were filed. 'A bill should never be introduced based on one complaint and never by one that has not been substantiated,' Fajman wrote. If the argument for the bill was that a county had difficulty responding to a FOIA request, having staff copying the ballots and filing them with the state Election Division wouldn't make the process easier, Fajman wrote. As a test run, Fajman wrote that she asked her staff to copy all the provisional ballots from the 2024 general election. It took her staff an hour and a half to do so, Fajman wrote. Fajman said her office retains all election documents for 22 months, and it wouldn't be difficult to respond to a FOIA request to see the provisional ballots. The ballots are kept under lock and key in a room with video surveillance, Fajman wrote, and all provisional ballots are signed by full-time staff. 'Lake County does an excellent job in conducting elections. I am offended that Lake County's name is being tarnished by this bill,' Fajman wrote. Fajman told the Post-Tribune Thursday she was glad the bill didn't make it out of the House committee. 'There is no broken part to this. It didn't need fixing,' Fajman said. 'It's a redundant process, and it's not needed.' akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Oath of ballot counter bill dies after House committee hearing
A bill requiring the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots to be sent to the state election division died after a hearing in the House Elections and Apportionment committee. Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, authored Senate Bill 186, which would require the circuit court clerk to give a copy of each oath counter on provisional ballots to the election division no later than 30 days after the election. Chairman of the House Elections and Apportionment committee Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, offered an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement for the circuit court clerk to transmit a copy of each oath taken by a ballot counter for the 2024 election. The amendment was adopted unanimously during a March House Elections and Apportionment committee meeting. The bill was held during the March 26 committee meeting and was not heard in committee after that. Dernulc said the bill died after officials determined it created 'duplicative work.' 'I was disappointed it didn't get a vote,' Dernulc said. 'All I wanted to do was to make it transparent. I wasn't able to convince (Wesco), so I'll do more work next year.' In drafting the bill, Dernulc previously said he worked with Secretary of State Diego Morales and Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division. Dernulc previously testified that he authored the bill after residents came to him to talk about more transparency in the election process. 'They would like to see a little more transparency, that's all,' Dernulc previously said. 'There's nothing that anybody's doing that's adversarial or bad, just a little more transparency into it.' Indiana Election Division Democratic co-general counsel Matthew Kochevar testified in committee that he opposed the bill because people can file a FOIA request to see provisional ballot signatures at their local election office, which is easier than traveling to Indianapolis to see the signatures. When the bill was heard in the House committee, Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the bill was drafted because of a records request filed in the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration office. The Lake County election office 'experienced, from the perspective of the Republican assistant director at that time, difficulty in responding to public records requests for oaths of the provisional ballot counters,' King said. 'The bill before you comes from the actual experience that the individual had in providing those records upon request,' King said. 'It's not unprecedented. It mirrors a provision in current law.' Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman sent a letter April 1 to legislators to inform them that she opposed the bill and that Lake County never received the FOIA in question. Fajman wrote that she spoke with LeAnn Angerman, the former assistant director, who told her that she did not recall receiving a FOIA request for provisional ballots. Further, Fajman said in the letter that her office staff checked FOIA records between November 2024 to February 2025, since the bill referenced the 2024 general election, and no provisional ballot FOIA requests were filed. 'A bill should never be introduced based on one complaint and never by one that has not been substantiated,' Fajman wrote. If the argument for the bill was that a county had difficulty responding to a FOIA request, having staff copying the ballots and filing them with the state Election Division wouldn't make the process easier, Fajman wrote. As a test run, Fajman wrote that she asked her staff to copy all the provisional ballots from the 2024 general election. It took her staff an hour and a half to do so, Fajman wrote. Fajman said her office retains all election documents for 22 months, and it wouldn't be difficult to respond to a FOIA request to see the provisional ballots. The ballots are kept under lock and key in a room with video surveillance, Fajman wrote, and all provisional ballots are signed by full-time staff. 'Lake County does an excellent job in conducting elections. I am offended that Lake County's name is being tarnished by this bill,' Fajman wrote. Fajman told the Post-Tribune Thursday she was glad the bill didn't make it out of the House committee. 'There is no broken part to this. It didn't need fixing,' Fajman said. 'It's a redundant process, and it's not needed.'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lake County elections public records request cited as reason for oath of ballot bill
A bill for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots, which was amended but held in committee Wednesday, was authored because of a 'difficulty in responding to' a records request by the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration office, state officials said. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the office did not receive a public request for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots in the general election. 'There is no documentation. If they have it, I would love to see it,' Fajman said. 'Lake County does an excellent job, and for something to try to throw us under the bus is offensive.' Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, authored Senate Bill 186, which would require the circuit court clerk to give a copy of each oath counter on provisional ballots to the election division no later than 30 days after the election. Chairman of the House Elections and Apportionment Committee Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, offered an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement for the circuit court clerk to transmit a copy of each oath taken by a ballot counter for the 2024 election. The amendment was adopted unanimously. Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said he supports the bill. The Lake County election office 'experienced, from the perspective of the Republican assistant director at that time, difficulty in responding to public records requests for oaths of the provisional ballot counters.' 'The bill before you comes from the actual experience that the individual had in providing those records upon request,' King said. 'It's not unprecedented. It mirrors a provision in current law.' LeAnn Angerman, the former assistant director, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, said the bill creates 'a backup' and 'protects everybody.' While Olthoff said she wasn't clear on what the end result of the Lake County public records request was, 'if it didn't come in a timely manner, or it didn't come at all and there was an issue getting it,' the bill will address that. 'It adds a layer of accountability, protection for the clerks in case of a question, and it's always a good practice to have a backup,' Olthoff said. Fajman said office staff sign the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots as they are the only ones who review the ballots. Then, the bipartisan board reviews the ballots, she said. On Wednesday, Fajman said office staff began making copies of provisional ballots, which are 13×19 envelopes, to send to the state legislators. The legislators will see, Fajman said, that the same four staff members sign the provisional ballots. 'I would like the legislators to see how time-consuming this is,' Fajman said. In drafting the bill, Dernulc previously said he worked with Secretary of State Diego Morales and King. Dernulc previously testified that he authored the bill after residents came to him to talk about more transparency in the election process. 'They would like to see a little more transparency, that's all,' Dernulc previously said. 'There's nothing that anybody's doing that's adversarial or bad, just a little more transparency into it.' Indiana Election Division Democratic co-general counsel Matthew Kochevar, who said he was speaking on his own behalf, said the bill only addresses oaths for provisional ballot counters and not oath forms poll workers or absentee ballot counters sign. Kochevar said he opposed the bill because people can file a records request to see provisional ballot signatures at their local election office, which is easier than traveling to Indianapolis to see the signatures. Further, the bill adds another paper trail the election division would have to monitor, he said. Kochevar pointed to Fajman's testimony when the bill was in committee in the Senate. In her testimony, Fajman held up a 13×19 envelope and pointed to where a ballot counter signs the oath at the bottom. 'This is a waste of money. I know the individuals who he's talking about that want transparency. They have not come into our office to ask for it. If they did, I would gladly show them,' Fajman previously testified. Wesco said the bill would be held in committee 'for possible consideration at a future meeting.' akukulka@
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana Senate committee hears two election bills, including one with tight redistricting deadline
The Senate Election Committee heard testimony Monday on two major election bills with election officials pointing to sections of the bill that would create barriers to voting, including a tight 2030 census redistricting deadline. House Bill 1679, authored by Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, is a 43-page various elections matter bill that addresses many election issues, from circuit court clerk offices remaining closed on primary and general election days to requiring redistricting following the 2030 decennial census to be complete by June 29, 2031. When House Bill 1679 was debated on final reading in the House in February, two Democratic amendments were ruled out of order, which Democratic House members called an abuse of power. Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, offered an amendment that would have allowed permanent absentee vote by mail status to elderly voters and disabled voters. Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, offered an amendment expanding vote by absentee ballot and before an absentee voter board. Both amendments weren't considered for violating House rule of germaneness, or being related to the topic at hand. Assistant Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said House Bill 1679 was a 'Christmas tree' of a bill. Pierce read allowed what matters the bill addresses including: modifying the definition of candidate; requiring an elementary school used as a polling place to remain closed on primary election day and general election day; allowing the county election board to approve the use of a binder instead of a paper envelope or bag for poll worker information; and a county chairman filling a candidate vacancy for local office, among many other changes. The legislature has a Republican supermajority, Pierce said, but Democratic amendments should be voted on and not blocked. 'You have now crossed the line into abuse of power,' Pierce said. 'You know it's germane. You don't want to vote.' On Monday, Brad King, the Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the language to allow poll worker paperwork, excluding provisional ballot materials, to be placed in a binder was drafted because of the binder system the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration director and assistant director put together for the county. King said the redistricting date was added as an amendment in the House and he wasn't sure how the date was picked. But King said redistricting can't be completed in an election year, and 2031 will be a municipal election year. Kegan Prentice, representing the Secretary of State, said the office supports the bill because it will help improve elections in Indiana. He said he wasn't sure how the June 2031 date was added to the bill, but that it aims to ensure that county elections officials complete redistricting every 10 years. Angela Nussmeyer, the Democratic co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the 2030 redistricting deadline would be tight as the data likely won't be available to counties until late 2030 or early 2031, assuming there are no delays in receiving the data. 'Six months to pull together new districts at the county level and the municipal level seems like a bit of a lift for those local government units,' Nussmeyer said. 'Cities and towns redistricting in the middle of an election cycle is something that we don't encourage, and in fact would require them to redistrict in 2032 if we follow current law.' House Bill 1680, also authored by Wesco, deals with election security and transparency that would: require counties to submit to the Secretary of State information about the county's information technology provider; permit a poll book holder, challenger or watcher to re-enter multiple polling places; require the county voter registration official to send a notice requesting proof of citizenship to a person who uses an identification number from a temporary credential; and provides that an applicant may not list on a voter registration form a post office box or a commercially available mailing box as a residence address of the applicant, among other things. Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, said the nonpartisan, grassroots organization opposes the bill, particularly because Indiana doesn't have a problem with non-citizens voting in elections. 'House Bill 1680 is the latest in the string of laws and bills that require proof of citizenship for only certain groups of voters creating burdens for naturalized citizens as compared to U.S. born voters and to people without accessible forms of proof of citizenship,' Vaughn said. 'There is no evidence of widespread voter registration or voting by non-citizens.' The bill restricts voter registration assistance, which could violate federal law, by limiting voters with disabilities or limited English proficiency from receiving help to fill out a voter registration form, Vaughn said. The bill also would reject ballots without accurate dates of signature without a cure process, Vaughn said. In this portion of the bill, Vaughn said a cure process should be added. Barbara Tully, with the League of Women Voters Indianapolis, said the bill's proof of citizenship requirement 'burdens naturalized citizens more so than native-born citizens.' The section on poll watchers could lead to voter intimidation, she said. The restriction of providing commercially available addresses on a voter registration form would prevent homeless people, who sometimes list a church or soup kitchen on their registration form, from voting, Tully said. 'They have every right to vote as any of us that are housed,' Tully said. Nussmeyer said she was neutral on the bill but listed a number of concerns. Nussmeyer said she's concerned about a section of the bill that would allow the Secretary of State to enter into a memorandum of understanding with other states to share unrestricted versions of the state's voter file 'to do some type of matching that's not codified or has any sort of procedure and then receive information back.' The state's election division, which is a bipartisan office, can complete audits and review the voter roll for data, Nussmeyer said. The bill further gives the Secretary of State more power over procedural audits, she said. Prentice said the office supports House Bill 1680 because it will enhance security as the Secretary of State has a cyber security contract for the whole state. The bill's section on poll watchers 'makes more sense' because of 'the dynamic we have with vote centers instead of precinct locations,' Prentice said. The MOUs, Prentice said, would be used to 'compare voter registration information.' At national conferences, secretaries of state have expressed interest in MOUs to share voter information for voter list maintenance, he said. Kentucky, Ohio and Florida have reached out to the Secretary of State to enter into MOUs, he said. When asked, Prentice said protecting voter data would be addressed in each MOU. Prentice said voters will be able to receive assistance on voter registration forms, but the person assisting them can't fill out the form for them and has to provide their name and contact information at the bottom of the form. The bills, with amendments, will be heard in committee again next week. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana Senate committee hears two election bills, including one with tight redistricting deadline
The Senate Election Committee heard testimony Monday on two major election bills with election officials pointing to sections of the bill that would create barriers to voting, including a tight 2030 census redistricting deadline. House Bill 1679, authored by Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, is a 43-page various elections matter bill that addresses many election issues, from circuit court clerk offices remaining closed on primary and general election days to requiring redistricting following the 2030 decennial census to be complete by June 29, 2031. When House Bill 1679 was debated on final reading in the House in February, two Democratic amendments were ruled out of order, which Democratic House members called an abuse of power. Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, offered an amendment that would have allowed permanent absentee vote by mail status to elderly voters and disabled voters. Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, offered an amendment expanding vote by absentee ballot and before an absentee voter board. Both amendments weren't considered for violating House rule of germaneness, or being related to the topic at hand. Assistant Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said House Bill 1679 was a 'Christmas tree' of a bill. Pierce read allowed what matters the bill addresses including: modifying the definition of candidate; requiring an elementary school used as a polling place to remain closed on primary election day and general election day; allowing the county election board to approve the use of a binder instead of a paper envelope or bag for poll worker information; and a county chairman filling a candidate vacancy for local office, among many other changes. The legislature has a Republican supermajority, Pierce said, but Democratic amendments should be voted on and not blocked. 'You have now crossed the line into abuse of power,' Pierce said. 'You know it's germane. You don't want to vote.' On Monday, Brad King, the Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the language to allow poll worker paperwork, excluding provisional ballot materials, to be placed in a binder was drafted because of the binder system the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration director and assistant director put together for the county. King said the redistricting date was added as an amendment in the House and he wasn't sure how the date was picked. But King said redistricting can't be completed in an election year, and 2031 will be a municipal election year. Kegan Prentice, representing the Secretary of State, said the office supports the bill because it will help improve elections in Indiana. He said he wasn't sure how the June 2031 date was added to the bill, but that it aims to ensure that county elections officials complete redistricting every 10 years. Angela Nussmeyer, the Democratic co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said the 2030 redistricting deadline would be tight as the data likely won't be available to counties until late 2030 or early 2031, assuming there are no delays in receiving the data. 'Six months to pull together new districts at the county level and the municipal level seems like a bit of a lift for those local government units,' Nussmeyer said. 'Cities and towns redistricting in the middle of an election cycle is something that we don't encourage, and in fact would require them to redistrict in 2032 if we follow current law.' House Bill 1680, also authored by Wesco, deals with election security and transparency that would: require counties to submit to the Secretary of State information about the county's information technology provider; permit a poll book holder, challenger or watcher to re-enter multiple polling places; require the county voter registration official to send a notice requesting proof of citizenship to a person who uses an identification number from a temporary credential; and provides that an applicant may not list on a voter registration form a post office box or a commercially available mailing box as a residence address of the applicant, among other things. Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, said the nonpartisan, grassroots organization opposes the bill, particularly because Indiana doesn't have a problem with non-citizens voting in elections. 'House Bill 1680 is the latest in the string of laws and bills that require proof of citizenship for only certain groups of voters creating burdens for naturalized citizens as compared to U.S. born voters and to people without accessible forms of proof of citizenship,' Vaughn said. 'There is no evidence of widespread voter registration or voting by non-citizens.' The bill restricts voter registration assistance, which could violate federal law, by limiting voters with disabilities or limited English proficiency from receiving help to fill out a voter registration form, Vaughn said. The bill also would reject ballots without accurate dates of signature without a cure process, Vaughn said. In this portion of the bill, Vaughn said a cure process should be added. Barbara Tully, with the League of Women Voters Indianapolis, said the bill's proof of citizenship requirement 'burdens naturalized citizens more so than native-born citizens.' The section on poll watchers could lead to voter intimidation, she said. The restriction of providing commercially available addresses on a voter registration form would prevent homeless people, who sometimes list a church or soup kitchen on their registration form, from voting, Tully said. 'They have every right to vote as any of us that are housed,' Tully said. Nussmeyer said she was neutral on the bill but listed a number of concerns. Nussmeyer said she's concerned about a section of the bill that would allow the Secretary of State to enter into a memorandum of understanding with other states to share unrestricted versions of the state's voter file 'to do some type of matching that's not codified or has any sort of procedure and then receive information back.' The state's election division, which is a bipartisan office, can complete audits and review the voter roll for data, Nussmeyer said. The bill further gives the Secretary of State more power over procedural audits, she said. Prentice said the office supports House Bill 1680 because it will enhance security as the Secretary of State has a cyber security contract for the whole state. The bill's section on poll watchers 'makes more sense' because of 'the dynamic we have with vote centers instead of precinct locations,' Prentice said. The MOUs, Prentice said, would be used to 'compare voter registration information.' At national conferences, secretaries of state have expressed interest in MOUs to share voter information for voter list maintenance, he said. Kentucky, Ohio and Florida have reached out to the Secretary of State to enter into MOUs, he said. When asked, Prentice said protecting voter data would be addressed in each MOU. Prentice said voters will be able to receive assistance on voter registration forms, but the person assisting them can't fill out the form for them and has to provide their name and contact information at the bottom of the form. The bills, with amendments, will be heard in committee again next week.
