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A new Indiana law allows the state to flag people it believes could be noncitizens. Counties send notices to those people, requiring them to submit proof of citizenship. If the people don't, their voter registration could be canceled.
Lauren Chapman / IPB NewsThe Indiana secretary of state's office believes it's found a case of a noncitizen who voted in several Indiana elections dating back to 2018.
The allegations were uncovered through a new law that took effect earlier this year.
The controversial measure, HEA1264-2024, requires the state to compare voter registration to Bureau of Motor Vehicles data on credentials given to noncitizens. People flagged by that comparison have to show proof of citizenship to their county election officials within 30 days of receiving a notice — or have their voter registration canceled.
Secretary of State Diego Morales said that system flagged 1,611 people who need to provide that citizenship proof.
Morales said Vigo County found one man who submitted a Mexican passport as his proof of citizenship and allegedly confirmed to local officials that he is not a U.S. citizen.
"Let me be clear — one case is too many," Morales said.
Morales said the case has been referred to the local county prosecutor, the state police and the U.S. Department of Justice.
There is no information on the remaining people flagged by the new law.
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Counties are responsible for canceling people's voter registration if they don't respond to the notice with proof of citizenship within 30 days.
That could mean U.S. citizens, with valid voter registration, could have their registration canceled. Secretary of State Legislative Director Kegan Prentice said if that happens, those people could still cast a provisional ballot at the polls.
"There are always fail-safe mechanisms," Prentice said. "So, that's why we're confident that sending out these notices is the best process to confirm the citizenship status of these 1,611 individuals."
Prentice said if people don't provide proof of citizenship to counties within 30 days of receiving the notice, counties could refer those to law enforcement for investigation.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.
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