Indiana’s top elected leaders, Attorney General Todd Rokita and Secretary of State Diego Morales, have requested federal aid to verify the citizenship status of over 585,000 registered voters in the state. The effort, aimed at ensuring only eligible voters participate in elections, comes as part of ongoing purges of voter rolls in several states.
The letter, addressed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou, asks for citizenship verification using a query service for individuals who registered without a state-issued ID. The move has drawn criticism from voter rights advocates who argue it could disenfranchise eligible voters, including naturalized citizens and those without state IDs.
Indiana Democrats, including the party chairman Mike Schmuhl and Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell, have raised concerns about the potential impact on voter confidence and integrity. Meanwhile, federal deadlines for voter roll maintenance have complicated the state’s efforts, with Virginia facing a lawsuit for a similar purge program.
Opponents argue that the letter is a politically motivated attempt to question the legitimacy of the election. Morales, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Guatemala, defended the initiative as a proactive step to gather missing information for voter registrations. The ongoing debate underscores the broader national conversation on election integrity and voter rights ahead of the November elections.
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