Julia Vaughn has been hearing a question from voters she says she’s never been asked in previous cycles: “Do I need a passport to cast a ballot?” They don’t, the Common Cause Indiana executive director tells them. But the question itself, she said, illustrates how proposals to change election laws, court battles and conflicting information […]
Indiana
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
How Indiana Voters Can Protect Their Vote From Citizenship Checks
Indiana has rejected or canceled voter registrations for more than 60% of the immigrant Hoosiers flagged under a proof-of-citizenship law, according to court filings. Indiana voters have until Oct. 5 to establish their voter eligibility and register for the November general election. Two Indiana laws can require immigrants to prove their citizenship to stay registered […]
Posted inElections, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
Gary Voters to Receive Mail Ballots on Schedule After Supreme Court Ruling
Local election officials in Indiana are relieved after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled against an executive order that would have required last-minute changes to the state’s mail-in ballot process. In the 7-2 decision, the high court upheld a federal judge’s injunction barring the U.S. Postal Service from imposing new ballot requirements laid out […]
Posted inCommunity, Extreme Weather
I Grew Up in Gary. I’ve Never Seen a Power Outage Like This.
I’ve experienced dozens of power outages growing up in Gary. But usually an outage had boundaries. A neighborhood, a section of a city, or maybe part of a county. You could drive a few miles and eventually find light again. But last Tuesday, as my wife and I drove through Merrillville, Hobart, and Portage in […]
Posted inPartner Content, Utilities
NIPSCO Among Utilities Under Fire as Complaints and Bills Surge
This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Indiana regulators on Tuesday spent hours questioning the state’s biggest energy providers on their rates, customer service and more amid rising frustration from ratepayers. Utility representatives testified that customer usage is the primary driver of high bills — linking factors like extreme temperatures, home insulation […]
Posted inLGBTQ, Politics & Policy
Indiana Blocks Gender Changes on IDs, Raising Risks for Trans Residents
Indiana residents can no longer change the gender on their driver’s licenses under an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun that requires state-issued identification to reflect a person’s assigned sex at birth. The policy, which went into effect Feb. 12, applies to all gender changes on Indiana-issued credentials, ending a long-standing Bureau of Motor Vehicles […]
Posted inUtilities
As Utility Bills Rise, Northwest Indiana Lawmakers Want More Help For Families
As Northwest Indiana residents’ utility frustrations mount over triple-digit increases, legislators, too, are feeling the pressure to use the tools at their disposal to help provide relief. At the Statehouse on Thursday, lawmakers debated the details of House Bill 1002, a proposal intended to help customers manage higher utility costs through expanded payment plans, assistance […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Ruling Absolving Legislature in Halting of Lawsuit Praised, Panned
This story was originally published by The Indiana Citizen. For the Gary gun lawsuit that has survived three appeals and multiple changes to state statute, the recent order to dismiss from the Court of Appeals of Indiana might be yet another chapter, rather than the end of the decades-old litigation. The December ruling from the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, State Government
Senate Rejects Early Redistricting; Indiana Voters Remain in Current Districts
In a 31-19 vote, Indiana’s controversial early redistricting push hit an unexpected wall Thursday, as the state Senate declined to move forward with a vote that would have finalized a new congressional map targeting the state’s two Democratic-held districts in Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis. The House passed the plan earlier this week, but the Senate’s […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Indiana Redistricting Plan Could Leave Gary Residents Without a Voice in Congress
For nearly a century, voters in Gary have helped choose who represents Northwest Indiana in Congress. Under a proposed redistricting map now moving through the Statehouse, that influence would be diluted across a far larger, nine-county district. The proposed congressional map advanced by Indiana House Republicans would dismantle Northwest Indiana’s current district and disperse Gary’s […]
