INDIANA– Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is emphasizing his office’s commitment to ensuring that every eligible Hoosier’s vote is cast and counted in a secure, lawful, and accountable manner.
As Indiana’s Chief Election Officer and a naturalized citizen of the United States, Secretary Morales recently sent an open letter to the Hoosier Press Association highlighting the importance of a secure system that upholds public trust, particularly when verifying U.S. citizenship among registered voters. The full letter can be found here.
“Many voters and local officials have shared concerns about the potential for non-citizens to register to vote under what is currently an ‘honor system’ for citizenship verification. My responsibility, as your Secretary of State, is to address these concerns and provide assurance that our elections are protected from unlawful participation,” said Diego Morales, Indiana Secretary of State.
Secretary Morales has taken several initiatives to safeguard Indiana’s elections, including sending a letter to USCIS requesting confirmation for Indiana registrations made without credentials. His office is also distributing multilingual “Vote Here” signs, which remind voters that only U.S. citizens can vote and that a photo ID is required.
Secretary Morales likened the approach to common sense practices for verification and security in other areas of daily life: “When attending a large concert or boarding a flight, everyone shows their ticket and goes through a security check. This isn’t a challenge to anyone’s integrity – it’s common sense. Likewise, verifying voter eligibility is a practical measure that respects the integrity of every eligible voter and the entire election process,” said Secretary Morales.
Secretary Morales has also shared real-world examples of non-citizens, unintentionally or otherwise, registering to vote due to administrative errors or language barriers. In some cases, individuals who checked ‘No’ to citizenship on registration forms were still mistakenly added to the voter rolls. In other cases, migrants were issued temporary humanitarian visas, and IDs and were erroneously told that they could use those IDs to vote. Such cases, while limited, highlight the need for improvements to ensure accuracy in voter registration and maintain voter confidence.
