LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 7035 NOTE PREPARED: Jan 1, 2025
BILL NUMBER: SB 302 BILL AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Absentee Ballots.
FIRST AUTHOR: Sen. Walker G BILL STATUS: As Introduced
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State & Local
DEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: Counting of Absentee Ballots– The bill provides that absentee ballots may be
processed, counted, and tabulated before 6 p.m. on election day, but vote totals for a precinct, a county, or
an election district may not be released before 6 p.m. on election day. The bill describes the process of
processing, counting, and tabulating early voting absentee ballots.
County Election Boards– The bill requires a county election board to use the procedures relating to voting
and processing of ballots by voters who vote in person at a precinct or vote center on election day, to the
extent that such procedures are applicable in the context of early voting.
Scanning of Ballot– The bill provides that an absentee ballot card voted during early voting may be scanned
using an optical scan ballot scanner beginning 28 calendar days before election day. (Under current law,
scanning may begin not earlier than seven days before election day.)
Ballot Retraction– The bill requires that a feature of a voting system that enables the retraction of a ballot
must be approved before being used in an election. The bill provides that a voting system retraction process
must be designed to minimize the possibility that the retracted votes on a voter's ballot can be linked to the
identity of the voter.
Miscellaneous Provisions– The bill relocates statutes applicable to early voting absentee ballots and mail
absentee ballots. The bill repeals superseded statutes.
Effective Date: July 1, 2025.
Explanation of State Expenditures: Counting of Absentee Ballots– The Election Division may need to
update certain publications regarding the changes regarding absentee ballots. It is likely any updates needed
could be made when other routine updates are made to election publications.
Explanation of State Revenues:
SB 302 1 Explanation of Local Expenditures: Summary– The bill makes several changes to election law that will
affect the workload of local election officials. However, these changes are not likely to significantly impact
county election expenditures overall. Selected specific impacts to local expenditures are described in greater
detail as follows.
Additional Information–
Counting of Absentee Ballots– Counties electing to process absentee ballots before 6 p.m. on election day
may be able to spread out ballot counter workload over more hours and more efficiently employ their
absentee ballot counters for the processing of those ballots.
Scanning of Ballot– This provision may also allow counties to spread out the workload of ballot counters
by allowing the scanning of early voted ballots three weeks earlier than under current law.
Ballot Retraction– Under current law, an election board may retract a ballot scanned in during early voting.
In tandem with the previous provision, which allows early voting ballots to be scanned in three weeks earlier
than under current law, election boards would have more time to check and determine if a ballot retraction
is necessary. However, in order to insure that a retracted ballot cannot be matched to the voter’s identity,
election boards may have a short-term increase in workload to develop an identity protection retraction
process.
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected: Election Division.
Local Agencies Affected: County election boards, boards of voter registration.
Information Sources: Election Division website: https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/
Fiscal Analyst: Chris Baker, 317-232-9851.
SB 302 2