Voter apprehension is reaching record levels for this year's general election, with dueling poll results and debates only adding to the anxiety.

Polling by the Pew Research Center says less than a month before Election Day, voters have a mostly negative view of the 2024 presidential campaign.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana wants to ensure everyone who wants to vote should be able to do so - without fear or intimidation, regardless of their candidate of choice.

Executive Director Chris Daley said the best way to protect democracy is to participate.

"We need every Hoosier to get to the polls and cast their vote," said Daley. "We need folks to be talking to their families and friends, making sure they're getting to vote. And then if they have folks in their lives or in their neighborhoods who are going to have trouble getting to the polls, helping them get there."

Daley emphasized that people can have conversations about the importance of voting, without getting into a debate about the candidates.

The Indiana Secretary of State's Office shows Hamilton and Wells counties were tied, at 75% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2020 presidential election.

The lowest turnout, at 58%, was in Delaware and Madison counties.

Rumblings of voter intimidation are not new during closely watched presidential elections.

Deceptive texts, emails, and robocalls can spread false information to confuse or intimidate voters - or target communities of color with threats.

Daley said anyone who's seeing this type of activity can contact the ACLU.

"If folks do have problems, we encourage them to reach out to us and let us know about them," said Daley, "so that we can respond to them."

He explained that the best thing Hoosiers can do, even when election season is over, is to make sure the voting laws allow as many people as possible to vote safely.

He said he believes more work needs to be done to make that happen. Voters can reach out to the ACLU at aclu-in.org.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has seen the last few bills of the 2025 legislative session cross his desk and as the ink dries, policy experts reminded Montanans some bills will face the courts before they take effect.

Gianforte signed Senate Bill 490, which changes the Election Day cutoff for same-day voter registration from 8 p.m. to noon. It also eliminates early registration the Monday before Election Day, shifting the deadline to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said the change especially affects Montanans who drive long distances to vote.

"We've already heard from the courts that you're not supposed to mess around with same-day voter registration," Moreno pointed out. "It just takes away that opportunity for working folks and young folks and rural people across the state."

Montana's Supreme Court ruled last year banning same-day voter registration is unconstitutional. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the decision.

Laws passed this session may still be challenged in court, including those centered on the LGBTQ+ community, which was targeted by at least 23 bills. Moreno noted the "community really showed up this session."

"We saw so many folks sharing personal stories and public testimony, so many folks showing up for lobby days and rallies," Moreno recounted. "Thousands of people engaged in the legislative process, which is essential."

In a win for renters, Gianforte also signed House Bill 311 , which requires rental application fees to be returned to people who do not end up signing a lease.

During every big election, tens of thousands of California voters make a mistake on their mail-in ballot and often get differing advice on how to fix it, depending on who they ask. A new bill aims to standardize the response.

Assembly Bill 1072 would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to come up with clear answers, applicable statewide.

Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, said the problem causes widespread delays in counting.

"In Orange County in the last election, officials had to duplicate over 40,000 ballots," Alexander pointed out. "There are other reasons why ballots have to be duplicated, but the primary one is that the voter made a mistake filling out their ballot, indicated a different choice, and it has to be remade."

Common mistakes include accidentally filling in the wrong bubble, signing the witness signature box or signing their spouses' envelope. If there is time, the county will often send a new ballot.

Alexander noted a common set of instructions should be posted on the website of the Secretary of State and every county registrar.

"They are instructed, typically, to cross out the choice and fill out the choice that they preferred and draw an arrow to it or circle it to indicate that is their intent," Alexander explained. "What they should not do is initial it, and sometimes voters think that's what they should do."

The outlook for the bill is good. It is currently on the consent calendar for the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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An Indiana debate over history and power is growing. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith recently defended the Three-Fifths Compromise in a social media video. The compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxes.

Beckwith called it a "great move" for America at the time, and praised the group WallBuilders, describing them as the "gold standard" for teaching U.S. history.

The Indiana Citizen investigated both claims. Publisher Bill Moreau called on Hoosiers to pay attention.

"We have been working on a project since the first of the year that we called: 'One Heartbeat Away: Do Christian nationalists have an agenda for Indiana?' Lt. Gov. Beckwith is literally one heartbeat away from being governor," he said.

If Beckwith became governor, he could shape education policy. That includes choosing textbooks. The Indiana Citizen's report found WallBuilders promotes views rejected by most historians. Some Hoosiers agree with Beckwith and say his views reflect America's religious roots.

Moreau encouraged Hoosiers to stay informed and take a closer look at the history Beckwith promotes.

"Understand what Lt. Gov. Beckwith said about the Three-Fifths Compromise," he added. "How he attributes that analysis to this group called WallBuilders - which he considers to be 'the gold standard for learning the real history of America.'"


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