Nonpartisan Voting Rights Organizations File Lawsuit in Indiana Challenging Unlawful Citizenship Check Laws
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2025
CONTACT:
Zindy Marquez
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
zmarquez@clccrul.org
Lacy Crawford
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
lcrawford@lawyerscommittee.org
Erica Teti-Zilinskas
League of Women Voters
media@lwv.org
Kenny Colston
Common Cause
kcolston@commoncause.org
Nonpartisan Voting Rights Organizations File Lawsuit in Indiana Challenging Unlawful Citizenship Check Laws
Lawsuit alleges newly enacted Indiana laws violate the National Voter Registration Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964
INDIANAPOLIS, IN: League of Women Voters of Indiana, Common Cause Indiana, Hoosier Asian American Power, and Exodus Refugee Immigration, have filed a lawsuit against the Indiana Secretary of State and the Co-Directors of the Indiana Election Division challenging several Indiana laws that target only naturalized citizens—not people born as citizens—with unnecessary burdens and potential disenfranchisement. The lawsuit states these laws violate the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The organizations are represented by Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Daniel Bowman and William Groth of Bowman Legal Services, LLC.
The lawsuit challenges new Indiana laws that went into effect on July 1, 2025, that use outdated and inaccurate Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) data in a flawed attempt to verify citizenship. Temporary driver’s licenses or identification cards are issued to noncitizens who are lawfully in the United States. These temporary credentials remain valid until they expire, and cost money to update, so many naturalized citizens continue using their temporary credentials for years after they become citizens and register to vote.
Because of the unreliable nature of this BMV data, eligible naturalized citizens who still use a valid temporary credential will be required to provide proof of citizenship, an unnecessary requirement that is not imposed on individuals born as citizens who will never be issued a temporary credential.
The lawsuit follows a July letter warning state officials that the new laws will mis-identify eligible voters as potential noncitizens in violation of federal law. These individuals must produce proof of citizenship within 30 days of receiving a notice. County voter registration officials must cancel or reject these individual’s applications within 48 hours if they don’t respond during this time period.
“Many individuals Exodus has assisted to obtain citizenship over the years fled from countries where they never had the chance to participate in a democracy. We cannot allow their voices to be silenced again in Indiana," said Cole Varga, CEO of Exodus Refugee Immigration.
“This law is intimidation of certain Hoosier voters and Common Cause Indiana will always stand against intimidation of voters,” said Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana Executive Director. “We warned legislators this was bad legislation before they passed it, we warned election officials before it took place and now we are taking action to protect Hoosier voters from this intimidation.”
“A majority of Asian American eligible voters are naturalized citizens, and for our community members, democracy is precious, because many of us come from countries where the right to vote is not a given,” said Melissa Borja, Co-Chair of Hoosier Asian American Power. “These laws unfairly create barriers that prevent our community members from exercising their cherished right to vote and having their voices heard."
“These laws put Indiana voters at risk, particularly our neighbors and members who have worked hard to become US citizens and voters,” said Linda Hanson, president of the League of Women Voters of Indiana. “Every Hoosier deserves an election system that treats all eligible voters fairly. The League of Women Voters of Indiana is committed to blocking unnecessary barriers that attempt to disenfranchise certain voters in our communities.”
“There is no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting or attempts to register to vote in our elections,” said Ami Gandhi, Director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program with Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. “This will result in the wrongful disenfranchisement of eligible voters, many of whom are people of color.”
“Our democracy depends on every eligible voter being able to cast a ballot free from intimidation or discrimination,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “Indiana’s new laws are part of a broader, troubling trend to undermine the fundamental right to vote. By targeting naturalized citizens, these provisions break federal law and betray the promise of equal participation at the heart of our democracy.”
“Common Cause will not stand for these attacks on voters any longer,” said Omar Noureldin, Common Cause Senior Vice President of Policy and Litigation. “If legislators in Indiana attack the voting rights of voters, we will push back to protect our members and Indiana voters.”
“New Americans have the same right to vote as native-born citizens,” said Ryan Snow, counsel with the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “And yet Indiana has needlessly created a new barrier to voting for new citizens, one which no native-born citizen will ever be subjected to. This is discriminatory and violates federal law.”
Plaintiffs are asking for Indiana’s compliance with federal law and for temporary and permanent injunctive relief preventing Indiana election officials from enforcing these harmful citizenship crosscheck laws. They also seek public records related to the challenged laws, including the list of targeted voters.
See the complaint exhibits here.
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Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights is a non-partisan, non-profit group of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. We provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and we collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights. For more information, visit www.clccrul.org or call (312) 630-9744.