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Committee hears opposition to Secretary of State leading study of local election scheduling and vote centers
Summary
House Bill 16‑33 would require the Secretary of State to study municipal election scheduling and the use of vote centers, hold at least three public meetings and report to the Legislative Council by Nov. 1, 2025; Common Cause and League of Women Voters urged the study be run by the legislature's interim study committee instead.
Senate sponsor Senator Gaskell described House Bill 16‑33 as a study requiring the Secretary of State to analyze scheduling of local elections and the use of vote centers and to produce a report to the Legislative Council by Nov. 1, 2025.
"Basically, if you look at the synopsis, it's a study of election issues, requires the Secretary of State to do the following: 1, study scheduling of local elections and requiring all counties to use vote centers; 2, conduct at least 3 public meetings on the topics studied; 3, report the results of the studies to the Legislative Council before 11/01/2025," Gaskell told the committee.
Witnesses representing voting‑rights organizations said they do not oppose studying the issues but object to the Secretary of State being the entity charged with the study. Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, said the state already has an interim legislative study committee charged with election matters and that the study should be conducted by a bipartisan legislative body: "We are not opposed to a study on local elections or vote centers, but we are opposed to giving that study to the Secretary of State's office," she said.
Barbara Tully of the League of Women Voters of Indiana voiced similar concerns and said vote centers themselves are broadly supported by advocates, but the study authority belongs with the legislature: "It belongs in an election study committee and as Ms. Vaughn just said, there are many issues and this is one of them," she said.
Keegan Prentice of the Secretary of State's office said the office supports the legislation and believes it can collect data and hold public meetings statewide, pointing to the office's existing data and contacts in counties.
No committee action was taken; Senator Gaskell said the bill is being held for amendment and vote next week so sponsors and interested parties can discuss concerns about study authority.
The hearing record shows organized, bipartisan civic groups urging the committee to transfer study authority to a legislative interim committee or to add bipartisan guardrails if the Secretary of State's office remains the lead agency.
