INDIANAPOLIS – Secretary of State Diego Morales, facing mounting criticism over a decision to review the citizenship status of more than 585,000 registered voters, fired back in a two-page letter Tuesday — maintaining that the move is meant to foster trust in the election process.
He likened the state’s citizenship verification process for some to an “honor system” and said local election officials had reached out with concerns.
“There has been a critical outcry from some, that not relying on the “honor system” for U.S. Citizenship is somehow mean-spirited or unpatriotic. I disagree. “I’m sure virtually no respectable Hoosier would try to sneak into a Taylor Swift concert, attend a Colts game, or board a commercial airline without a ticket,” Morales wrote.
“It’s virtually unquestioned that everyone attending a concert or game, or boarding an airplane, will be asked for their ticket and screened for dangerous, prohibited items. Asking everyone is not discriminatory, accusatory, mean-spirited, or unpatriotic – it’s basic common sense,” he continued.
But voting advocates disagree, saying that some eligible Hoosiers could be removed from the voter roll in violation of the National Voter Registration Act.
“Efforts like this put thousands of eligible voters at risk of being intimidated or unfairly removed from the rolls,” said Ami Gandhi, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Midwest Voting Rights Program, in a release. “The NVRA was designed to protect voters from arbitrary and discriminatory practices. Indiana’s actions could strip eligible citizens of their right to vote.”
Under the law, states cannot remove voters in the 90 days leading up to an election. Previously, Morales said any voters flagged by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would be forwarded to local counties for further action.
Read the rest of the Whitney Downard story for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, here.
