By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
August 1, 2025
After attending a meeting at the White House earlier this week, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales pointed to the new proof of citizenship voting requirement and described the Hoosier state as “a national leader in election integrity.”
Morales was in Washington, D.C., for a “high-level election integrity briefing” with federal officials and other secretaries of state, according to a release from Morales’ office. During the briefing, the Indiana secretary was said to have highlighted the state’s new laws requiring some Hoosiers to prove they are U.S. citizens before being allowed to register to vote and the memorandum of understanding his office recently signed for access to the federal SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) database.
“Indiana continues to be a national leader in election integrity,” Morales said in a press release about his trip. “We are taking meaningful steps to make certain only U.S. citizens are registering and voting in our elections.”
Indiana, like the federal government, has long mandated that only eligible U.S. citizens can vote in elections. However, the General Assembly amended state laws during the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions to require certain individuals prove they are citizens. As of July 1, anyone with a temporary driving credential from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles now must provide citizenship to remain or get on the state’s voter rolls. Temporary credentials are typically provided to immigrants who have legal status but are not U.S. citizens.
Morales has championed the new citizenship voting requirements, saying they will improve election safety and security, and alleging that he knows of noncitizens who are on Indiana’s voting rolls. However, voting rights advocates counter the problem of noncitizens voting does not exist. They assert the new laws are potentially discriminatory and could bar eligible voters from the ballot box, because election officials are relying on BMV’s temporary credential data which, typically, is not updated.
Katie Zuber, the Democratic board member of the Allen County Voter Registration office, is helping to oversee the implementation of the new laws in her county and has been assisting voters who come into the office with their citizenship papers. Still, she has doubts the new requirement is necessary.
“I think it’s a waste of time, personally,” Zuber said. “I mean, we’ve had zero issues with this in the state of Indiana…. I think it’s just another hoop for someone to get through in order to vote.”
The secretary of state’s office told The Indiana Citizen it has identified about 1,600 registered voters as potential noncitizens based on the information from the BMV and the vendor overseeing the statewide voter registration system. Also, the secretary’s office said it has utilized the SAVE system to verify the citizenship status of some Hoosiers.
Voters or registrants identified as potential noncitizens have 30 days from notification to prove their citizenship status by providing a passport, birth certificate or certificate of naturalization. Noncitizens found to have voted could face criminal charges, but Morale’s office said it has not turned over any potential noncitizen voters to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
The concern over naturalized citizens being disproportionately targeted by the proof of citizenship requirement has prompted the Chicago Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights to send two notices to Morales. In addition to requesting more information about the process for verifying citizenship, the CLCCR advised the secretary of state that litigation could soon be coming to block the new laws.
Indiana has a total foreign-born population of 377,934 – or about 6% of the state’s total population – of which 42.2% are naturalized citizens, according to a 2024 report from the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Bartholomew and Hamilton counties are home to some of the state’s largest foreign-born populations at 11.01% and 9.17% of the respective counties’ total residents.
In Hamilton County, circuit court clerk Kathy Williams and election administrator Beth Sheller said their office has notified between 120 and 130 individuals who have been identified as potential noncitizens who are either on the voter rolls or registering to vote. About 20 have responded with the proper documentation.
“We’ve gotten a good response. Nobody’s been upset or anything,” Sheller said, noting most of the individuals are presenting their certificates of naturalization as proof of citizenship.
Bartholomew County has received a batch of names of potential noncitizen voters, but circuit court clerk Shari Lentz said not many individuals have been flagged and some of the names are of voters who have been on the rolls for several years. No notification letters have been sent, because, she said, vacations and a courthouse renovation have caused the staff to focus on the online trainings offered by the secretary of state, which explains the process for verifying the citizenship of voters and registrants.
“It’s better to all be on the same page and know exactly what we’re doing, rather than to jump in and make mistakes,” Lentz said. “We are fortunate that there’s no election this year. That really helps a lot.”
Marion County Circuit Court Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell echoed concerns that the process is not foolproof and eligible voters will be improperly removed from the voter rolls. She said she worries some individuals might miss the voter registration deadline if the process for verification gets delayed
Also, Sweeney Bell said just receiving a letter from a government official requesting proof of citizenship raises unnecessary fears. Naturalized citizens might worry the letter indicates their lawful status is in jeopardy, so rather than providing their citizenship papers, they could opt to quit voting altogether.
“If it’s a hassle, they’re just going to give up even if they’re entitled to vote,” Sweeney Bell said. “That is my concern.”
Indiana, Georgia and Tennessee all require officials try to verify a voter’s citizenship status before asking for documentation, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Election officials in Indiana said the process to verify citizenship is relatively easy and the trainings have been helpful. Through the statewide voter registration system, county clerk and voter registration offices are receiving names of voters and registrants who are listed as having temporary credentials. The local staff will do a search for additional information on the individuals, but, if nothing is found, a letter will be sent requesting proof of citizenship.
When the individuals submit their citizenship documents, the county offices will upload copies into the system and then finish processing the registration. Individuals who do not provide the documentation within 30 days of notification will be removed from the voter rolls and have to start the registration process all over again to have access to the ballot box.
Williams, who served 26 years as a state representative, said the new laws are clear and do not contain any confusing language or provisions that will need to be clarified.
“I think we’re in good shape,” Williams said. “Now, there’s not too many statutes that don’t get completed that don’t have some tweaking to them at some point, so I’m not going to say it’ll never be looked at again. But I was pleased at the way we were trained on it and then Beth and her staff were able to implement it easily.”
While local officials know the new proof of citizenship laws and understand the process for verification, voters are confused.
Zuber said about 80 residents in Allen County have been notified that they need to prove they are citizens. Those who have responded are bewildered why they now have to provide their papers.
One man, Zuber said, was flagged by the BMV after he renewed his driver’s license. He went to the voter registration office with his passport and when the staff pulled his file, they saw he had an “extensive history” of voting. The staff uploaded a copy of his passport and he remains on the voter rolls.
Zuber deescalates any concerns or confusion a voter may have with a mix of empathy and explanation. She apologizes for the inconvenience and provides an overview of the new citizenship voting requirement. Even so, she worries that individuals might misplace or set aside the notification letter so their voter registration is canceled but they would not realize what happened until they try to vote in the next election.
“I do think that there’s a potential for someone to be removed that shouldn’t be,” Zuber said. “I think it’s going to be a high percentage.”
Lentz said she thinks the process for verifying citizenship is good and that voters will have ample opportunity to prove they are citizens. Whether she has concerns about the new requirement, she declined to say, noting she is focused on doing her job as the county clerk.
“I think we need to make sure that we’re carrying out the laws to the best of our ability,” Lentz said. “So I am really thinking and trusting that it will be a good process going forward.”
In early July, the secretary of state’s office sent an email to county clerks pointing out that, under the new laws, a certificate of naturalization number is not considered proof of citizenship. The county voter registration office, according to state statute, must verify the number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or “a successor agency.”
The law does not identify the successor agency, but the email claims the secretary of state’s office fills that role. Consequently, county officials are instructed to send the certificate of naturalization number along with the individual’s first and last name and date of birth to the secretary and the office will confirm the status of the registrant.
Sweeney Bell said she has concerns about the directive and has consulted with legal counsel. In particular, she sees the Indiana Election Division, rather than the secretary of state’s office, as the “natural successor agency,” and she questions the secretary of state’s motives.
Sweeney Bell noted Morales and Rokita were pushing unfounded fears of noncitizens voting before the new laws were enacted by asking the USCIS to verify the citizenship of nearly 600,000 Hoosier voters less than a month before the November 2024 election. They have since sued the USCIS for not complying with their request and have refused to publicly release the list of names.
“It’s a political agenda rather than a legitimate area of concern,” Sweeney Bell said.
Asked why the Indiana Election Division is not the successor agency, Morales’ office responded that “the federal government views the secretary of state as the state’s chief election official and responsive agency.”
John Krull, director, and Doug Jaggers, assistant director, of the Pulliam School of Journalism at Franklin College edited this story.
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
