Kersey’s legislation to improve voter turnout adopted by the Indiana House

INDIANAPOLIS – Members of the Indiana House passed legislation authored by Representative Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute) that takes a step toward increasing voter turnout in Indiana.

House Bill 1178 was amended to require the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to ask a person who transacts business at a license branch if they would like to register to vote.

“Whenever I campaign door-to-door the number one question I ask is, ‘Are you registered to vote?’ Almost all the answers I got back were no,” he added.

That is why Kersey hopes this legislation will make it easier for Hoosiers to register to vote and that Indiana will see a bigger turnout at the polls during election season.

House Bill 1178 is a vital piece of legislation this session since Indiana’s voter turnout was the 11th worst in 2016. In addition, in 2014 Indiana had 28 percent of people who were registered to vote show up at the polls.

“I believe democracy runs best when everyone has an equal opportunity to vote,” said Kersey.

“All this legislation does is make it easier for Hoosiers to get registered to vote so they are able to make their voices heard and make a difference.”

The House passed House Bill 1178 with a vote of 94 to 0. It will now move to the Senate for further review.