Indiana SOS asks federal agencies to not engage in voter registration without state’s permission

Indianapolis, Indiana – In reaction to an executive order issued by President Joe Biden in 2021, Secretary of State Diego Morales of Indiana is requesting that federal agencies and departments refrain from voter registration efforts without the state’s consent.

In a press release issued by the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office, Morales stated that without state permission, federal departments and agencies operating in Indiana are not allowed to conduct voter registration drives or other election-related activities.

According to the announcement, federal agencies operating in Indiana have received a letter instructing them to cease all election-related activities.

The statement made on Tuesday relates to Biden’s executive order, which was signed in March 2021, to promote voting access. Biden instructed government agencies to look into ways to increase individuals’ ability “to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process,” as stated in the executive order. These ways include:

• Asking the head of each agency to evaluate how they can promote voter registration and participation, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

• Provide ways to provide access to voter registration services and vote-by-mail ballot applications

• Solicit and facilitate approved, and nonpartisan, third-party organizations and state officials to provide voter registration services on agency premises.

In accordance with the executive order, authorities were also directed to update the Vote.gov website and provide federal employees with time off so they can vote in early or on Election Day in federal, state, municipal, tribal, and territory elections. It also addressed the following subjects:

• Ensuring access to voter registration for eligible individuals in federal custody

• Ensuring access to voting for active duty military and overseas citizens

• Ensuring equal access for voters with disabilities.

Morales responded to this executive order by stating that organizations “must be specifically designated by the state as ‘voter registration agencies’ to lawfully offer or provide absentee voting assistance and voter registration services.” This is in accordance with both federal and Indiana law. To preserve election integrity, Morales emphasized that this is “critical.”

Voter registration drives, particularly the one organized by the Small Business Administration, according to Morales, are “well-meaning” but “not authorized by Congress, contrary to state law, and a distraction” from the goals of the organization.

“The amount of enthusiasm I have towards increasing our state’s voter registration and turnout numbers is immeasurable,” Morales said in the release. “Since the start of my administration, an unprecedented level of direct and financial assistance has been allocated to counties. Alongside my team, we have blanketed the Hoosier state with voter outreach efforts; from festivals to county fairs to sporting events. In anticipation of the upcoming November election, those efforts are only going to amplify.”

As long as federal and state laws are followed, especially those pertaining to Congressional authorization and appropriations, the office is “open” to working with federal agencies to coordinate election-related activities.