| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | Introduced Version |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE BILL No. 527 |
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| 4 | 4 | | _____ |
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| 5 | 5 | | DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL |
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| 6 | 6 | | Citations Affected: IC 3-11-10-26.3. |
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| 7 | 7 | | Synopsis: Satellite offices for voting absentee. Specifies that if a |
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| 8 | 8 | | county adopts a resolution to authorize the circuit court clerk to |
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| 9 | 9 | | establish a satellite office for a voter to cast an absentee ballot, the |
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| 10 | 10 | | resolution must establish at least one satellite office for every 50,000 |
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| 11 | 11 | | people that reside within the county. |
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| 12 | 12 | | Effective: July 1, 2025. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Randolph Lonnie M |
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| 14 | 14 | | January 16, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Elections. |
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| 15 | 15 | | 2025 IN 527—LS 6402/DI 149 Introduced |
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| 16 | 16 | | First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025) |
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| 17 | 17 | | PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana |
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| 18 | 18 | | Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, |
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| 19 | 19 | | additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type. |
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| 20 | 20 | | Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional |
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| 21 | 21 | | provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the |
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| 22 | 22 | | word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds |
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| 23 | 23 | | a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts |
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| 25 | 25 | | between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SENATE BILL No. 527 |
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| 27 | 27 | | A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning |
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| 28 | 28 | | elections. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. IC 3-11-10-26.3, AS AMENDED BY P.L.153-2024, |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2 SECTION 15, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 26.3. (a) A county election board may adopt a |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4 resolution to authorize the circuit court clerk to establish satellite |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5 offices in the county where voters may cast absentee ballots before an |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6 absentee voter board. |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7 (b) To be adopted under this section, a resolution must be adopted |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8 by the unanimous vote of the board's entire membership. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9 (c) A resolution adopted under this section must do the following: |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10 (1) Establish at least one (1) satellite office for every fifty |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11 thousand (50,000) people that reside within the county. |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12 (1) (2) State the locations of the satellite offices. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13 (2) (3) State the hours at which absentee voting may occur at the |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14 satellite offices. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15 (d) The resolution may contain other provisions the board considers |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16 useful. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17 (e) If a resolution is adopted under this section for a primary |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2025 IN 527—LS 6402/DI 149 2 |
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| 48 | 48 | | 1 election, the following apply: |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2 (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2), the locations of the |
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| 50 | 50 | | 3 satellite offices and the hours at which absentee voting may occur |
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| 51 | 51 | | 4 at the satellite offices established for the primary election must be |
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| 52 | 52 | | 5 used for the subsequent general or municipal election. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 6 (2) The board may, by unanimous vote of the board's entire |
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| 54 | 54 | | 7 membership, amend the resolution to modify, for the subsequent |
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| 55 | 55 | | 8 general or municipal election: |
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| 56 | 56 | | 9 (A) the locations of the satellite offices; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | 10 (B) the hours at which absentee voting may occur at the |
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| 58 | 58 | | 11 satellite offices. |
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| 59 | 59 | | 12 A board in a county designated as a vote center county under |
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| 60 | 60 | | 13 IC 3-11-18.1 that amends a resolution under subdivision (2) shall also |
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| 61 | 61 | | 14 amend its plan under IC 3-11-18.1-15 to conform to the amendment. |
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| 62 | 62 | | 15 The board may not amend the resolution to change the number of |
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| 63 | 63 | | 16 satellite offices established under subsection (c)(1). |
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| 64 | 64 | | 17 (f) If a resolution is adopted under this section, the procedure for |
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| 65 | 65 | | 18 casting an absentee ballot at a satellite office must, except as provided |
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| 66 | 66 | | 19 in this section, be substantially the same as the procedure for casting an |
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| 67 | 67 | | 20 absentee ballot in the office of the circuit court clerk under section 26 |
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| 68 | 68 | | 21 of this chapter. |
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| 69 | 69 | | 22 (g) A voter casting an absentee ballot under this section is entitled |
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| 70 | 70 | | 23 to cast the voter's ballot in accordance with IC 3-11-9. |
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| 71 | 71 | | 24 (h) A satellite office established by a circuit court clerk under this |
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| 72 | 72 | | 25 section must comply with the polling place accessibility requirements |
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| 73 | 73 | | 26 of IC 3-11-8. |
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| 74 | 74 | | 27 (i) A resolution adopted under this section expires January 1 of the |
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| 75 | 75 | | 28 year immediately after the year in which the resolution is adopted. |
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| 76 | 76 | | 2025 IN 527—LS 6402/DI 149 |
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