Indiana Secretary of State candidates debate voter participation, election security

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Candidates for Indiana secretary of state clashed over voter turnout, election security and how to improve access to election information during a debate on October 7.

Indiana has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country, making voter participation a major focus of the debate.

Democratic candidate Beau Bayh said Indiana should consider changes to how ballots are structured, including ending straight-ticket voting.

“There’s a lot of reasons why people don’t vote,” Bayh said. “Chief among them, people do not participate because they feel like their vote doesn’t matter. I hear that all the time.”

Republican candidate Max Engling said the state should expand voter resources, particularly for groups that may need additional assistance navigating the election process.

“We have to work with folks that need an extra opportunity, like our county veteran service officers, so they can get extra information to veterans,” Engling said.

Independent candidate Greg Ballard proposed creating a statewide voter guide to help voters better understand the candidates and issues on their ballots.

“Right now, how many times have you gone into the voting booth and said, ‘Who are these people?’” Ballard said.

He pointed to constitutional amendments that can appear on ballots as an example of issues voters may not fully understand before casting their ballots.

The candidates also debated how the secretary of state’s office should address election spending and security.

Bayh said that if elected, one of his first priorities would be auditing how the secretary of state’s office has spent taxpayer money in recent years.

“Max wants to pretend like the last four years of corruption that you witnessed never happened,” Bayh said. “I will audit this office because spending money, your tax money, on luxury SUVs and hiring relatives is unacceptable.”

Engling said investigative matters should be handled by the state inspector general. He instead focused his campaign message on election security.

Engling proposed changing the appearance of identification cards issued to noncitizens who are legally in the United States but are not eligible to vote. He said a different background color could make it easier for election workers to identify whether someone is eligible to vote.

Ballard pushed back against the idea that the other candidates were not concerned about election security, calling that suggestion “ludicrous.”

He said county clerks and election workers play a critical role in preventing election fraud and ensuring eligible voters can participate.

“The clerks run their elections. They want standardized training,” Ballard said. “The poll workers and the clerks are the leading edge to make sure about fraud and to make sure the right people vote.”

The candidates also discussed 22 cases of suspected voter fraud that have been flagged in Indiana.

Libertarian candidate Lauri Shillings said the cases demonstrate that the state’s existing election safeguards are working.

“I think we should also understand that the checks and balances are in place are working as intended,” Shillings said. “That’s how we caught those 22 individuals.”