Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales participated in a delegation of lawmakers attending the Republican National Convention July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to advocate for election integrity and oppose federal oversight of state election processes. Morales, joined by five fellow legislators, addressed critical concerns and sought to ensure state control over electoral procedures amid ongoing national debate.
In a press release, Morales emphasized the following areas of concern:
- According to the U.S. Constitution, the responsibility to determine the time, manner and place of state elections rests with each state’s legislature. Registration of voters, the casting of ballots and the counting of ballots must be in accordance with the laws prescribed by the respective state legislatures.
- President Biden’s Executive Order No. 14019 relating to voter registration is a classic example of federal overreach and is clearly unconstitutional. It should be rescinded immediately.
- No votes should ever be accepted or counted that are derived from outside the laws as passed by an official act of each state’s legislature.
- Only citizens of the U.S. should be able to register and vote in state and federal elections.
- Photo voter ID is fundamental to secure elections.
- Drop boxes for election ballots should not be used.
- Voting by mail, absentee voting, ballot harvesting, early voting, curing of ballots and other means of voting must be specifically authorized by an official act of the state legislature.
- While we focus on voter list maintenance, registrations are constantly changing. Therefore, blanket mailing of ballots to entire registration lists should not be done. Similarly, pre-populating information on, and the mass mailing of, absentee ballot requests should not be done.
- The safest and most secure way to cast a ballot is on Election Day at a polling location managed by trained poll workers from both major parties where every voter is guaranteed an opportunity to cast a ballot free of any undue influence from another person.
- All votes should have a verifiable, auditable paper trail. In the event of any discrepancy, the paper ballots should take precedence.
- Get election information from your Secretary of State or Board of Elections and local election officials and their websites.
For more information about Morales, visit in.gov/sos.
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
