Messmer: Protecting Election Integrity

Local Sources - In this week's report from Indiana Senator Mark Messmer, Messmer focuses on protecting election integrity.

Senator Messmer released the following statement:

Maintaining a safe and secure election process is at the heart of our democracy. From the founding of our country and the meeting of the First United States Congress, the integrity of our elections has been of great importance, ensuring we are in fact a government of the people, by the people and for the people.  

In recent years, we have seen a questioning of just how safe and secure the vote counting process is. To address this and preserve the integrity of our elections, I supported the passage of House Enrolled Act 1116 this session.

HEA 1116 requires all electronic voting machines in Indiana to incorporate a voter-verifiable paper audit trail by the 2024 election. This will provide a reliable way for both voters and election officials to confirm the electronically recorded votes are accurate. HEA 1116 also extends the requirement for each county to maintain an election security agreement with the Indiana Secretary of State.

This legislation also makes changes to the absentee voting process. HEA 1116 requires anyone requesting an online absentee ballot application through the statewide voter portal to provide either their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, adding an extra layer of identification.

In 2020, researchers from the university consortium of Northwestern, Harvard, Northeaster and Rutgers reported 38% of Americans lacked confidence in the fairness of the 2020 presidential election. These improvements to Indiana's current system are essential, while providing more transparency and accountability in our voting process. Hoosiers can trust that our elections will continue to be safe and secure with the passage of this legislation.

To view or update your voter registration, visit IndianaVoters.com.

As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-382-9467.