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2023 Municipal Election Candidate Forums

LaPorte  Civic Auditorium
March 29, 2023 7 pm

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March 30, 2023 7 pm

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Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events

LWV IN

LWV Members and Supporters,

There are 2 bills election bills of concern advancing through the Statehouse.   Both will come before the Senate Elections Committee on Monday, March 20.   Please consider, as individuals, calling members of the Senate Election Committee to voice your opinion on these bills.

HB 1334 can be amended on Monday and it will receive an up or down vote.    HB 1116 will be heard and there will be testimony but the vote will not occur until next week.

Below is a description of both bills. 

HB 1334 Absentee Voting authored by Rep. Wesco - now in the Senate: 

Suggested Action to Consider Taking: Call the members of the Senate Election Committee and leave a message asking them to vote “no,” and then follow up with a quick email.  Contact information is provided at the end of the message.

HB 1334 would require a voter to put down the last four numbers of the Social Security number and another ID: Indiana driver’s license number, a non-driver identification card number, or a unique identifier for those who registered to vote decades ago.  Or a voter could instead include a photocopy of their license, non-driver card, or other proof of identification — like a passport or state university-issued ID card — in the envelope with the application.

County election boards would have to match at least one of the numbers with information in the voter’s registration record. Without a match, election officials would have to work with the voter to resolve the errors, delaying receipt of the mail-in ballot.

Additionally, the bill says voters or an immediate family member must request an absentee ballot—absentee ballot applications cannot be sent by “an agency of the state or a political subdivision” unsolicited.  This will impact nursing homes that request absentee applications for their residence.  Testimony from Julia Vaughn Common Cause,  “It’s a bill that is out of balance. It’s a bill that over-emphasizes concerns about the security of voting by mail at the expense of easy access for voters and smooth administration by county election officials,” Vaughn told lawmakers. “And it does so with little to no proof that such restrictions are necessary from a security perspective.”

HB 1116 is scheduled for testimony on 3/20.

Although most of HB 1116 is good legislation, it contains language that would take our state backward on the issue of felony disenfranchisement. This is an ill-advised step backward since Indiana is one of the states that return the right to vote after time is served.   This bill will create confusion and sow doubt in the integrity of our elections. HB1116 would add a new penalty to the punishment for election fraud; anyone convicted of felony vote fraud would be disenfranchised for an additional 10 years. 


Indiana does not have a problem with election fraud. Over recent years we’ve had a few isolated cases and a handful of people convicted. Elections in Indiana are safe and secure and our current laws to protect the integrity of the vote work well.

 

Suggested Action to Consider Taking:

Consider making a call to leave leave a message for the members of the Senate Elections Committee asking them to only support the passage of this bill if the 10 years of disenfranchisement is dropped.   Then send each member a quick email asking them to only support this bill if it is amended and the 10 years of disenfranchisement is dropped. 

 



ELECTIONS




Email

Phone


Majority Member

Sen.

John

Crane

s24@iga.in.gov

317-232-9984


Majority Member

Sen.

Stacey

Donato

senator.donato@iga.in.gov

317-232-9493


Chair

Sen.

Jon

Ford

senator.ford@iga.in.gov

317-232-9517


Ranking Minority Member

Sen.

J.D.

Ford

s29@iga.in.gov

317-232-9847


Minority Member

Sen.

Andrea

Hunley

s46@iga.in.gov

800-382-9467


Majority Member

Sen.

Tyler

Johnson

s14@iga.in.gov

317-232-9400


Majority Member

Sen.

Linda

Rogers

senator.rogers@iga.in.gov

317-234-9443


Ranking Member

Sen.

Greg

Walker

senator.walker@iga.in.gov

317-232-9984


Majority Member

Sen.

Michael

Young

madalynn.conner@iga.in.gov

317-232-9517


Advocacy

EMAIL our advocacy teams to stay up to date
by getting on their mailing lists!

Voter Services Email Patrice Waidnerpcwaidner@gmail.com 
Education
Email Nan Polk at nanpolk@hotmail.com
Women’s Health/Reproductive Rights LWVIN.WomensHealthAdvocates@gmail.com
Natural Resources Emai
Kristina Lindborg at 
kristina.lindborg@gmail.com

Halftime Legislative Watch

Remaining live bills have now passed from one chamber to the other.  Advocacy emails provide detailed information.

Bills to oppose in current form:

SB 12             Materials harmful to minors

SB 486           Education Matters

HB 1116         Various Election Matters

HB 1177         Handgun training for teachers

HB 1334         Absentee Voting

HB 1608         Human sexuality instruction

Bills to Watch

HB 1336        Various Election Law Matters

Bills to Support

SB 4                Public Health Commission

SB 252            Long-acting reversible contraceptives

SB 266            Long-acting reversible contraceptives

HB 1449          Twenty-first Century Scholarship 

HB 1304          Watercraft registration renewal fee

HB 1568          Pharmacist Prescribed Birth Control

HB 1639          Watershed development commissions 
THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF LAPORTE COUNTY WANT YOU!

Do you like affecting public policy? Do you desire to see a more bipartisan approach to government? Do you want to be more actively involved in your community? Look no further! You are invited to join the League of Women Voters of LaPorte County. Membership is open to students, men, and women. When you join, you'll become part of a passionate group of individuals from all political persuasions and help us promote sound bipartisan legislation. 

Click JOIN NOW located in the upper right corner of this page.
We look forward to having you become an integral member of our team. 

Upcoming Events
UPCOMING EVENTS

LWV IN


Women’s Health Advocates

BILLS WE SUPPORT THAT HAVE MOVED TO THE OTHER HOUSE

HB 1568 Pharmacist Prescribed Birth Control. This bill would allow pharmacists who meet certain requirements to prescribe and dispense hormonal birth hormonal contraceptives – and would also require health plans to cover the cost. Hormonal prescriptions (birth control pills, rings, patches) are already available at pharmacies worldwide. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has long supported moving hormonal birth control from prescription to over-the-counter, as does the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association. Indiana Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates are also supporting this bill. On February HB 1568 got a vote of 86 yeas and 12 nays in the House. It it now in the Senate where the sponsors are Glick, Leising, Becker, and Scott Alexander.

SB 252 Long-acting reversible contraceptives. Allows a long-acting reversible contraceptive that is prescribed to and obtained for a Medicaid recipient to be transferred to another Medicaid recipient. Current law ties the devices to their assigned Medicaid recipients even if those people change their minds or just don’t show up to the follow-up appointment. Passed in the Senate by 49-0 on February 7 and is now in the House.

SB 266 Long-acting reversible contraceptives. Requires a hospital that operates a maternity unit to ensure that a woman giving birth in the hospital has the option of having a long-acting reversible subdermal contraceptive implanted after delivery and before the woman is discharged. On February 27 it passed the Senate with Yeas 26; Nays 23.

We also support SB 4 Public Health Commission. On February 23 this bill passed by a vote of 152-41 and is now in the House. According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, “In one sense, Senate Bill 4 is actually an infrastructure bill regarding public health and preventative health services designed to ensure that every county in the state provides coordinate services,” former Sen. Luke Kenley told lawmakers….Asking for less than the Governor’s Public Health Commission originally suggested, Gov. Eric Holcomb is pursuing $120 million in fiscal year 2024 and another $227 million in fiscal year 2025 to increase public health services across the state.” This is on top of the the $80 million in SB 2 (special session) that was for programs to support pregnant people and child programs and adoption.

A few more anti-abortion bills were filed in 2023 but none even received a committee hearing. We sincerely hope that the Indiana Supreme Court does not issue a ruling on SB 1 (ss) until after the session ends.

LWVIN Women’s Health Advocates

Pam Locker, Joanne Evers, Sabrina Glidden, Betsy Kachmar, Sara Ofner-Seals



ANNUAL LEAGUE DAY AT THE STATEHOUSE


NEW DATE: Wednesday, March 22, 9:30am - 3pm ET

All previous reservations will remain valid; there is no need to re-register although new reservations are welcome. Click HERE to make a new reservation.

Or to transfer your reservation to another person email treasurer@lwvin.org with the subject Substitution for League Day.

Schedule meetings with your legislators. State board members will be in the Library and at the State House all day.

Join us for a lunch gathering in the State Library at 11:30 am ET. Issue advocates from partner organizations will be available at topic lunch tables.


TALK TABLE TOPICS AND EXPERTS

·Natural Resources(Indra Frank from Hoosier Environmental Council)
·Education(Joel Hand, Indiana Coalition for Public Education)
·Voting Rights(Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana)
·Women's Health & Reproductive Rights(LaKimba DeSadier of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates)
·Human services/housing(Andrew Bradley, Prosperity Indiana and Indiana Coalition for Human Services).

Registration is $20 and includes a box lunch from IndyFresh. We have 65 reservations!

Keep them coming!

We will also be celebrating the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment on March 22, 1972!


vote.png

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF THE WOMAN'S RIGHT TO VOTE

Join Us as we continue our march to

EMPOWER VOTERS and DEFEND DEMOCRACY




WE NEVER SUPPORT OR OPPOSE ANY POLITICAL PARTY OR CANDIDATE 

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed

and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy.

P.O. BOX 9234 | MICHIGAN CITY, IN 46361-9234