Senate OKs study asking Secretary of State to analyze municipal election scheduling and vote centers

The Indiana Senate on Thursday approved House Bill 16-33, a 28-line measure that directs the office of the Secretary of State to analyze the scheduling of municipal elections and to estimate potential cost savings if all counties used vote centers, then file a report to legislative council by Nov. 1, 2025.

Sponsor Senator Timothy Gaskell, who introduced the bill on the Senate floor, said the office will conduct at least three public regional meetings and provide data the legislature can use to decide whether to move municipal elections into even-numbered years. "If you'd like to know how much we're spending in Indiana running municipal elections in the odd numbered years, please vote yes," Gaskell said during closing remarks.

Supporters argued the study is a practical, lower-cost way to produce county-by-county data on turnout and expenses that would inform future legislation. Senator Gaskell said the Secretary of State's office already works with county clerks and is the appropriate repository for election data.

Opponents urged caution. Senator Michael Taylor said the office's publicly expressed views opposing vote centers and absentee procedures raised concern about entrusting the study to the Secretary of State without a bipartisan oversight group. "If we hand this over to somebody who has openly said these things, we risk biasing the results," Taylor said. Senator Ford and others also objected that the bill provides no minority-party appointments to guide the study.

Other senators questioned how the Secretary of State would choose regional meeting locations and compile turnout comparisons absent a current municipal election to analyze. Sponsor Gaskell replied the office would likely rely on past elections and county data and would hold meetings in northern, central and southern regions.

The Senate voted 35-13 in favor of the bill after extended floor debate. The bill requires the Secretary of State to hold at least three public meetings in different regions of the state and deliver a written report to legislative council by Nov. 1, 2025.

The bill does not itself change election law or move municipal elections; it requires a study and reporting so the legislature can decide whether to act based on the Secretary of State's findings.

Ending note: The study report deadline and the requirement for multiple public meetings make the Secretary of State the first step for lawmakers seeking data on election scheduling and vote-center costs.