Nonpartisan Voting Rights Organizations Warn Indiana State Election Officials that Discriminatory Citizenship Check Law Violates Federal Law

Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and William R. Groth and Daniel Bowman of Bowman & Vlink, LLC, alongside Indiana nonpartisan civic organizations Common Cause Indiana, League of Women Voters of Indiana, Hoosier Asian American Power, and NAACP Indiana State Conference, have sent a notice of violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to the Indiana Secretary of State’s office and the Indiana Election Division co-directors. Indiana enacted a new voting provision that goes into effect on July 1, 2025 (Section 17 of 2024’s HEA 1264), which requires voting officials to compare the statewide voter registration file with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ (BMV) list of temporary credentials in a flawed attempt to verify voter citizenship.

This type of cross-checking outlined in the law is unnecessary, vulnerable to errors, and adds yet another barrier that may prevent eligible Indiana voters from exercising their right to vote. 

Read the full press release here and check out the letter here.