Senate approves concurrence on election bill with contentious student-ID provision; supporters say security, critics call it voter suppression

The Senate voted to concur with House amendments to Senate Bill 10 after extended floor debate on voter identification and registration safeguards. The motion to concur passed 39-9.

Senator Anthony Dorio presented the motion to concur, outlining two house amendments the Senate accepted: addition of a consular report of birth as a proof-of-citizenship document and a requirement that county voter registration offices perform a list-maintenance mailing when voters have not cast ballots in the two most recent general elections. The revised language also directs the Secretary of State to seek voter-registration-list-sharing agreements with other states to identify duplicate registrations.

Senator Lindsey Yoder spoke in strong opposition on the floor, saying the bill's restrictions would "shrink" participation and singled out the provision that would prevent many student IDs issued by Indiana public universities from being accepted for in-person voting. "This is not election security. This is voter suppression, plain and simple," Yoder said, urging colleagues to oppose concurrence.

Senator Dorio waived closing remarks; the motion to concur was placed on the passage calendar and passed with roll-call 39 ayes, 9 noes. The bill returned to the House with the Senate's concurrence.

Ending: The bill now includes new list-maintenance and proof-of-citizenship measures; critics warned the student-ID language will create barriers for college-age voters.