Klinker opposes House Bill 1116, any efforts to make absentee voting harder

INDIANAPOLIS - State Rep. Sheila Klinker (D-Lafayette) today highlighted her opposition to House Bill (HB) 1116, which increases the hurdles for working and retired Hoosiers to vote by mail. 

“As elected officials and servants of the public, we should be doing everything in our power to increase voter participation and make it easier to access the ballot box,” Klinker said. “HB 1116 moves our state in the opposite direction.”

HB 1116 passed the House Monday on party lines by a vote of 66-28. The bill requires absentee voters to confirm under the penalty of perjury that they would not be able to vote in-person during the 28-day early voting period, or on Election Day.

The only step forward in the bill is requiring counties which use electronic voting machines to set up a verifiable paper trail by July 1, 2024. 

“The addition of verifiable paper trails for electronic voting machines is a positive step,” Klinker said. “However, it is unfortunate that this important step will not occur until the 2024 general election.

“Due to Indiana ranking 41st for voter turnout in the last general election, we need to look to help Hoosiers vote rather than making it more difficult.”