A proposal that would reduce the length of Indiana’s early in-person voting period is moving to the full Senate for consideration.
The measure would cut the number of early voting days from 28 to 16. The provision was added to a bill that previously addressed how counties process early voting ballots in an effort to reduce time and costs.
Supporters of the change say a shorter voting window would lower expenses and bring Indiana’s schedule more in line with other states. Senate Elections Committee Chair Mike Gaskill said the idea has been discussed for several years.
“I’m sure many of you have heard the argument that even here at the legislature, that it’s election day, not election month,” Gaskill said.
Some Democrats raised concerns about how the change could affect voter participation. Sen. Fady Qaddoura pointed to Indiana’s voter turnout ranking as part of his objection.
“I think between the policy of saving dollars versus allowing access and increasing voter participation at a time when Indiana ranks in the bottom five nationwide on voter participation, I think it’s extremely problematic,” Qaddoura said.
The bill now heads to the full Senate.
Details on this story from Indiana Public Broadcasting
