COLUMBUS, Ind. — Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, has gone on Twitter to criticize sweeping election and ethics legislation that would eliminate partisan gerrymandering, bring transparency to anonymous contributions to political groups and strike down hurdles to voting, claiming the measure “destroys election integrity.”
The 791-page bill, which passed the House in a 220-210 vote split largely along party lines Wednesday, would require states to automatically register eligible voters, offer same-day registration, hold at least 15 days of early voting, allow no-excuse absentee balloting and mandate that nonpartisan commissions handle the process of redrawing congressional district boundaries instead of state legislatures, among dozens of other provisions, The Associated Press reported.
Pence was among the 210 House members who voted against the measure.
It would also require political groups to disclose anonymous donors, as well as create reporting requirements for online political ads, according to wire reports. It would appropriate nearly $2 billion for election infrastructure upgrades limit states’ ability to purge registered voters from their rolls and restore former felons’ voting rights.
On Wednesday, Pence took to Twitter, claiming in a one-minute video that the measure would force states to permanently expand mail-in voting, implement online voter registration, automatic voter registration, same-day registration and legalize ballot “harvesting,” which generally refers to individuals who collect and return completed and sealed absentee or mail-in ballots on behalf of others.
It is unclear what issue Pence specifically has with online voter registration or which third parties, if any, he feels should be allowed to return absentee-by-mail ballots, as both are part of Indiana’s current election system. The Republic has reached out to Pence for a comment, but he has not responded.
Indiana has used an online voter registration system since 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In this past election cycle, many Bartholomew County residents registered to vote online at indianavoters.in.gov.
Ballot collecting also is legal to varying degrees in many states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Indiana currently allows people to return absentee-by-mail ballots on behalf of others provided that they live in the same household.
The bill would allow voters to designate a third party of their choosing to return their absentee or mail-in ballot on their behalf “so long as the person designated to return the ballot does not receive any form of compensation based on the number of ballots that the person has returned,” according to the text of the bill.
Indiana does not currently allow automatic or same-day voter registration, instead using the U.S. Postal System to verify a voter’s address when they register. The voter registration deadline in Indiana is usually around 28 days before Election Day.
For the complete story, see Saturday’s Republic.
