Republicans find new ways to make voting harder in Indiana

The GOP holds supermajorities in the Indiana House and Senate, enabling them to pass controversial legislation despite its unpopularity in public opinion polls. Recently, they have pushed efforts to further entrench their political power by targeting voting rights. Senate Bill 10 prevents college students from using state university IDs for voting and restricts voter registration services at the BMV, even though there is no evidence of voter fraud under current rules. Senate Bill 284 aims to cut early in-person voting from 28 days to 14, disproportionately affecting seniors, the disabled, and working people. These bills follow previous GOP-led restrictions, such as House Enrolled Act 1334, which added new barriers for absentee voters, writes the Indystar.com.

Indiana already has some of the nation’s most restrictive voting laws, contributing to abysmally low voter turnout. The Indiana Bar Foundation ranks the state last in civic engagement. Political scientists warn that such actions erode democracy, a process known as democratic backsliding. While Indiana remains nominally democratic, continued manipulation of voting rights risks turning the state into a de facto one-party system. This threatens the principles of free and fair elections, robust participation, and genuine competition — the cornerstones of democracy.