After the early start to deal with mid-cycle redistricting in December of 2025, the 2026 legislative session started back up on January 5th. This was a fast and furious session that ended February 27th. Common Cause Indiana worked hard to advocate for legislation that would build a more accessible and inclusive democracy. Here are the bills we focused on this year:
Priority Legislation:
SB53 (Senators Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), Walker (R-Columbus)– This legislation is a bipartisan effort to prohibit the General Assembly from establishing or modifying House districts, Senate districts, or Congressional districts at a time other than the first regular session of the general assembly convening immediately following the United States decennial census or upon a court order. This would make mid-cycle redistricting illegal. In 2025, we had an extremely disruptive push for mid-cycle redistricting. This effort distracted from real issues Hoosiers are facing (cost of living, health care, childcare, etc.). SB53 would make this process illegal, ensuring Hoosiers aren’t put in the middle of partisan power plays like this again.
- Senate Bill 53 died because it did not receive a committee hearing in the Senate.
HB1133 (Criswell) – This bill would eliminate straight ticket voting. Straight ticket voting allows voters to choose a party’s entire slate of candidates with just a single ballot mark. Common Cause Indiana supports this legislation as it encourages individuals to learn about candidates and their platforms more thoroughly. It will also provide a level playing field for 3rd Party candidates and could result in less political polarization.
- House Bill 1133 died because it did not receive a committee hearing.
HB1148 (Bartlett) – This bill permits an individual to register at the polls by completing a voter registration form and providing proof of residence. Common Cause Indiana supports this legislation as it increases voter participation in our elections. It helps increase turnout among young voters, diverse communities, and helps update and correct voter rolls.
- House Bill 1148 died because it did not receive a committee hearing.
SJR11 (Taylor) – Senate Joint Resolution 11 would allow Hoosiers to propose amendments to the Constitution of the State of Indiana through an initiative. It also allows the people of Indiana to approve or reject any statute or part of any statute enacted by the general assembly through a referendum. Common Cause Indiana supports this legislation as it would finally give Indiana residents a direct say in the future of our state.
- Senate Joint Resolution 11 died because it did not receive a committee hearing.
HB1256 (Clere) – This bill would require the circuit court clerk of each county to place a copy of each campaign finance report, notice, or other instrument filed with the county election board on the circuit court clerk’s or county election board’s website in portable document format. Common Cause Indiana supports this legislation as it allows for more transparency about who is funding candidates for local office.
- House Bill 1256 passed its house of origin but died because it did not receive a committee hearing in the Senate.
SB140 (Becker) –This bill would criminalize doxxing, or the posting of personal information of an individual or someone close to the individual. Common Cause Indiana supports this legislation. During the redistricting fight, many Indiana lawmakers were subject to doxxing, putting their safety and their families’ safety at risk. Legislation like this would hopefully reduce, if not stop, folks from disseminating personal information of others in an attempt to get them harmed.
- Senate Bill 140 has passed both chambers and will become law.
Bad Bills We Fought Against:
HB1343 (Bartels) – Hidden inside a routine veteran affairs bill, HB1343 contains language that would establish a “military police force” and give the Governor broad authority to activate it with police powers anywhere in the state. If activated, this force could be authorized to make arrests, conduct searches and seizures, carry firearms and exercise any and all police powers. Common Cause Indiana opposes this language because we believe that local communities should have control over the law enforcement officers who patrol their streets. This bill blurs the lines between military forces and civilian policing, which could create a police state that is used to suppress the rights of marginalized communities.
- House Bill 1343 passed both chambers and will become law.
SB12 (Doriot) – This bill would ban the use of ranked choice voting (RCV). Common Cause Indiana is opposed to this bill. Ranked choice voting would be a good thing for Indiana voters: it would provide us with more choices and could discourage negative campaigning. It is unnecessary to pre-emptively ban RCV, tying the hands of future General Assemblies. There are other election issues that the legislature should address to increase Indiana’s chronically low voter turnout.
- Senate Bill 12 has been signed into law by the Governor.
SB210 (Holdman) – This bill adopts a compact that other states would adopt to ensure that certain rules are followed during an Article V convention. We oppose this bill because an Article V convention is unpredictable and dangerous. There are no rules to govern such a convention, and it could easily veer off the rails, threatening our constitutional rights and civil liberties. Other states are not required to follow the compact rules that would be set by this legislation.
- Senate Bill 210 passed its house of origin but died because it did not receive a committee hearing in the House Judiciary committee.
HB1096 (Prescott) – This bill would close primaries by requiring individuals to affiliate with a political party while registering to vote and be affiliated with a political party no later than 119 days before the date of the primary election. This bill would also reduce the period during which in-person absentee voting may occur. Common Cause Indiana opposes this bill as it disenfranchises voters, especially independent voters in our state. This group of voters accounts for at least 25% of voters in Indiana, effectively disenfranchising them during primary elections and leading to an even smaller percentage of the electorate choosing our elected officials.
- House Bill 1096 died because it did not receive a committee hearing before 3rd reading deadline.
- However, language to reduce early voting periods was later added to HB1359, in an amend and vote only committee session, meaning there was no public testimony allowed. Thanks to calls, emails, and letters sent by supporters by you, HB1359 died because it never received a 2nd hearing in the Senate. A big win for voters in Indiana!
SB267 (Alexander) – This bill would require anyone who provides at least $500 in compensation to a 3rd party to influence the Indiana General Assembly to file a report with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission within 24 hours of making the expenditure. While Common Cause IN supports more transparency about who is trying to influence the legislative process, this bill’s language is far too broad and potentially unconstitutional, since most grassroots lobbying is protected by the 1st and 14th amendments. This bill, also known as the “paid protestor” bill, would be impossible for the Indiana Lobby Commission to implement, since they only have 2 staffers and who aren’t capable of transmitting daily filings during the legislative session. CCIN tried to convince the sponsor to amend this bill to create an interim study commission on these issues so they could be discussed thoroughly, and reforms could be developed thoughtfully over the summer.
- Senate Bill 267 died because it was not called down for 2nd reading.
