Committee advances bill to replace 'auditor' with 'comptroller' in Indiana law to match office name on 2026 ballot

Senate Bill 221, which would update remaining Indiana Code references from "auditor" to "comptroller," received a favorable recommendation from the committee and passed a roll call vote, 10 yeas, after testimony that the change is needed to avoid voter confusion in the 2026 election.

The change completes a multi-step statutory renaming that began in the 2023 budget bill and was partially addressed by a 2024 technical corrections effort, Speaker Jennifer Thuma said. "These changes will ensure that voters will see the office listed as comptroller on the ballot to avoid any confusion since this is how the office is now known," Thuma, general counsel for the Indiana comptroller, Elise Neshala, told the committee.

The bill would alter remaining statutory references so the title used on ballots and in election law matches the…