INDIANAPOLIS — With just under two weeks until November 5 and thousands of Hoosiers already voting early, Diego Morales and Todd Rokita are questioning the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of legally registered Hoosier voters, including almost all members of the military serving overseas and their families.
“Pushing the false narrative that non-citizens are registering to vote is nothing more than political theater to set the stage for challenging legitimate election results in Indiana should the results not go the way the Republicans want. It shows that they are worried about the outcome of the election,” said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl.
This political scheme stems from a Republican-led piece of federal legislation called the SAVE Act, requiring all states to validate a voter’s citizen status with a valid passport, REAL I.D., military I.D. or other approved document proving a U.S. birthplace. However, Republicans have been unable to get the Act through the U.S. Senate.
“Morales and Rokita are operating as if the SAVE Act is the current, enacted law– but it’s not,” said Schmuhl. “We staunchly oppose these burdensome and costly efforts to prove citizenship when there are already secure checks in place in Indiana. This political stunt spreads false information, misuses taxpayer resources, and is against the law. The real problem lies in not enough eligible Hoosier participating in the voting process. We want to remind all registered Hoosiers that voting in this election is secure, easy and convenient, and continues through Tuesday, November 5 (Election Day) in all 92 counties across the state.”
It is also illegal under federal law for any state to conduct a widespread purge of registration records less than 90 days from the election.
The Indiana Democratic Party will continue its voter protection efforts through Election Day. Voters can call 1-833-336-8683 to report any problems at the polls, including intimidation. All Hoosier voters can find an early voting location or Election Day polling place and view a sample ballot at indianavoters.in.gov.
“Regardless of party affiliation, we are grateful for the public servants who run our elections and for the poll workers who give their time to ensure voters can safely and confidently cast their ballots. Perpetuating mistrust and spreading misinformation about the integrity of Indiana elections will never be tolerated by the Indiana Democratic Party,” said Schmuhl.