SOS Diego Morales responded to criticism over the citizenship review of hundreds of thousands of registered voters. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Diego Morales, facing growing criticism over a decision to review citizenship status of more than 585,000 registered voters, responded in a two-page letter on Tuesday – saying the move was intended to build confidence in the electoral process.

He likened the state’s citizenship verification process for some to an “honor system” and said local election officials had raised concerns.

“There has been a critical outcry from some that not relying on the “honor system” for American citizenship is somehow mean-spirited or unpatriotic. I don’t agree. I’m sure that virtually no respectable Hoosier would try to sneak into a Taylor Swift concert, attend a Colts game, or board a commercial plane, without a ticket or carrying a prohibited item. Morales wrote.

(Voter’s Guide 2024: the candidates and tools you need to vote.)

“Yet, despite our confidence in people’s honesty, it is virtually indisputable that anyone attending a concert or match, or boarding a plane, will be asked for their ticket and checked for objects dangerous and prohibited. Asking everyone is not discriminatory, accusatory, mean-spirited or unpatriotic – it’s just common sense,” he continued.

But voting advocates disagree, saying some eligible Hoosiers could be removed from the voter rolls in violation of the National Voter Registration Act.

“Efforts like this put thousands of eligible voters at risk of being intimidated or unfairly removed from the rolls,” said Ami Gandhi, director of strategic initiatives and the Midwest Voting Rights Program at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee. for Civil Rights. in a press release. “The NVRA was designed to protect voters from arbitrary and discriminatory practices. Indiana’s actions could disenfranchise eligible citizens.

Under the law, states cannot remove voters in the 90 days before an election. Morales previously said all voters flagged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would be transferred to local counties for further action.

More from Morales’ letter

Morales said in Tuesday’s letter to the Hoosier State Press Association that he did not believe the 585,774 registered voters subject to additional screening were all non-citizens, but said he knew ” with certainty” that there were non-U.S. citizens on the Indiana ballot. registered on the lists who received a government ID that would allow them to vote.

He told the story of one such man who, after realizing he had been mistakenly registered to vote, contacted Morales’ office to remove himself from the voter rolls. It was determined that a clerical error had occurred and that the man had done nothing wrong.

Another person was invited to register while at a BMV branch. Under state election law, state agencies that interact with the public must inquire about and offer assistance in registering to vote. According to Morales, this is “the most common way for non-citizens to end up on Indiana’s voter registration list.”

“Before I became a naturalized citizen, I remember visiting a BMV branch and being asked if I wanted to register to vote. I knew enough English to say no, but others however may not understand English enough to understand what was being asked or the ramifications,” Morales said.

Using USCIS was a “quiet check,” Morales said, adding that he “sincerely hoped” that USCIS would respond.

“Hopefully the activity will demonstrate to concerned Hoosiers that the problem is relatively small and limited.” I hope this can help increase confidence in our elections and among our citizens,” he said. “…I hope that more Hoosier voters than ever before will vote on November 5, including a record number of naturalized Hoosiers like me, and that they will do so with the confidence that my office has done everything it can to guarantee the integrity of our elections.

Indiana has the second lowest voter turnout in the country, and Morales pointed to new signs explicitly telling Hoosiers that only citizens could vote. The 5,000 signs – available in English and Spanish in local precincts across the county – cost $20,000.

The 12 percent of registered voters subject to screening include those who registered without a state-issued ID or Social Security number — which were only required in 2005 — as well as the 5,700 living registrants abroad.

The Secretary of State’s office did not respond to multiple requests to clarify whether voters registered before 2005 were included in the letter to USCIS.

Is it part of a national trend?

The USCIS letter, co-signed by Attorney General Todd Rokitaappears to mirror other requests sent by Republican states, including Texas and South Carolina. Virginia, Alabama and Wisconsin are all facing voter rolls lawsuits.

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National advocacy groups have expressed concerns about a “fire hose” of misinformation before the November elections, including lies peddled by national election candidates. Prominent Republicans have promoted claims about non-citizen voting, which is incredibly rare. THE Conservative Heritage Foundation documents 47 cases of electoral irregularities in Indiana since 2003 – including fraudulent use of absentee ballots, voter petition fraud and false registrations – on millions of votes.

A Washington Post analysis from the National Heritage database has identified 85 cases of non-citizen voting between 2022 and 2023. The consequences for a non-citizen who votes include a fine, prison and even deportation.

Such misinformation efforts can discourage naturalized citizens from voting, particularly those in the Latino community — a criticism filed by the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus.

“This action is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress the voices of Latino and minority communities, using fear and confusion to disenfranchise eligible voters,” said Karla Lopez-Owens, president of the INLDC, in a press release last week. “These efforts are part of a broader trend to undermine the democratic process and create unnecessary barriers for marginalized communities, particularly for naturalized citizens who have every right to vote. »

The organization has more information – in Spanish and English – at www.inlatinodems.com/vota-indiana.

The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights also oversees hotlines in several languages, including:

• English: 866-OUR-VOTE

• Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA

• Arabic/English: 844-YALLA-US

• Asian languages ​​(Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi and Bengali)/English: 888-API-VOTE

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