More than in most midterm election years, you’ve probably been hearing about the candidates for secretary of state in Indiana.
You’re probably hearing more than a few questions – directed primarily at the Republican nominee, Diego Morales, over his portrayal of his military service, allegations of inappropriate conduct toward women in his past and his difficult employment history in the very office that he’s seeking.
They’re all important questions. But at The Indiana Citizen, we have quite a few more – 11 to be exact, relating to what we see as an issue at the very heart of this election: How the next secretary of state will perform in their crucial role as Indiana’s chief elections officer.
Our questions:
The 2021 Indiana Civic Health Index and other reports consistently show Indiana in the Bottom 10 for voter turnout. What is your reaction to this?
Which, if any, of the following measures for improving turnout do you favor?
– no excuse absentee voting?
– automatic voter registration?
– same-day voter registration?
– longer voting hours?
– making election day a state holiday?
– mandatory vote centers in every county?
Does Indiana have a civic literacy problem? What would you do, as secretary of state, to improve Hoosiers’ civic literacy?
What is “ballot security” and what, if anything, should Indiana do to safeguard it?
Is voter fraud a concern in Indiana? If so, please give an example of voter fraud here.
Do you think Joe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States?
A recent study found Indiana ranks 51st for the strength of its campaign finance laws. As chief election officer, what changes, if any, would you make to those laws?
A Tufts study that came out right before the 2020 election that showed Indiana with a steep drop in 18-19 year-old registrants from 2016? What would you do to promote registration and turnout among youngest Hoosiers voters?
Do you think the ways the congressional, state House and state Senate maps have been drawn inhibits voter turnout? If so, how would you address this as secretary of state?
Do you think some Indiana elective offices should be appointed or, if elected, be non-partisan? If so, which ones?
Should the secretary of state, who oversees elections, be elected on a partisan basis? Why or why not?
In recent weeks we’ve posed these questions to all three candidates seeking the office.
Click the following links to see how the candidates – Democrat Destiny Wells, Libertarian Jeff Maurer and Republican Diego Morales — answered. — Questionnaires compiled by Barb Berggoetz and Steve Hinnefeld for The Indiana Citizen.
