Indiana Adds ID Requirements to Mail-In Voting to Make Process ‘As Secure As’ Voting in Person

Election workers sort vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., on March 10, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

An Indiana law set to take effect on July 1 will ensure that mail-in voting is “as secure as voting in person,” according to the legislation’s author.

Voters in Indiana currently have to show photo identification if they vote in person but don’t need to present any such ID if they apply for an absentee by mail ballot.

The only requirement currently is that county clerks check whether the signature on the voters’ absentee application matches their signature on file.

The new law, House Bill 1334 (pdf), will require the voters who submit their absentee ballot application to include a form of ID, which can be the last four digits of their Social Security number, as well as either a driver’s license number, state ID number, or voter registration number, according to a release from the bill’s author, State Rep. Tim Wesco (R-Osceola).

Voters could also opt to submit a photocopy of their driver’s license or an Indiana ID card if they don’t drive.

“This new law helps protect Indiana’s voting integrity by having voters who request an absentee ballot to submit two forms of identification when casting an absentee ballot,” Wesco, who is chair of the state’s House Elections and Apportionment Committee, said in a statement.

“This is an important step to maintain voter confidence in our election process.”

Democrat Pushback

State Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) had challenged Wesco during a debate on the measure on the House floor in April.

“It is unnecessary to make it more difficult for the elderly, people voting by travel board, and those serving in the military to vote. It won’t make elections safer and only serves to hamper democracy,” Pfaff said, reported The Times of Northwest Indiana.

Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed the measure into law on May 1.

The law also bars local governments and political parties from widely mailing out or distributing unsolicited absentee ballot applications to Hoosiers. However, they can still provide the application to voters who request one.

The legislation didn’t make any changes to absentee eligibility requirements, Wesco said.

Requirements include that a voter has a disability, or are at least 65 years of age, or is prevented from voting due to unreliability of transportation to the polls, are working the entire day of the election, among 11 criteria.

Wesco’s measure mandates regular data sharing between the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Indiana Election Division, and the secretary of state and county election offices to ensure that only legitimate voters are requesting mail-in ballots online.

In the 2022 general election, about 36 percent of voters did so by absentee. Absentee voting in Indiana can be by mail or in person prior to election day. Voters can request mail-in ballots via a paper form or request it online.

The 2020 Vote

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States saw a shift in voting methods in 2020, in part prompted by the actions of the states. While many states did not amend their policies, some states expanded early voting, and at least 15 states issued all registered voters ballots that they could return by mail.

Former President Donald Trump, who lost his 2020 presidential bid to now-President Joe Biden, has expressed skepticism toward the 2020 election results and repeatedly alleged that widespread fraud and voting irregularities took place.

At Trump’s announcement of his 2024 presidential bid on Nov. 15, 2022, he said that he would call for election law reform: to have mandatory voter ID, one day of voting, and paper ballots. This matches what he had called for back in February 2021.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his concern over universal mail-in voting—where most voters are sent unsolicited mail-in ballot applications. According to Trump, such a practice could lead to a surge in fraud. He has also repeatedly made a distinction between universal mail-in voting and absentee voting.