Indiana Lawmakers Advance Bill to Reduce Early Voting Days

Proposed changes to Indiana’s voting laws are moving through the legislature, with House Bill 1359 introducing new procedures for early voting and ballot tracking.

The bill would allow counties to assign a unique identifier to each early voter, print this identifier on the ballot, and scan ballots without using secrecy envelopes. This process would enable ballots to be retracted if a voter is later found ineligible, according to the proposal.

An amendment to the bill, which was added without public testimony, would shorten Indiana’s early voting period from the current 28 days to 16 days. The Senate Elections Committee approved this amendment in a vote, advancing the proposal within the legislative process.

Under the proposed changes, counties would be permitted to begin scanning early ballots on the first day of early voting, instead of waiting until closer to Election Day. Indiana has used the secret ballot system, also known as the Australian ballot, since the late 1800s.

What the numbers show

• Indiana’s early voting period is currently 28 days
• The amendment would reduce early voting to 16 days
• The average early voting period in U.S. states is 20 days
• Nearly one-third of Indiana voters cast ballots early in 2024
• Indiana’s voter turnout ranking improved from 50th to 41st in 2025

The amendment to reduce early voting days passed the Senate Elections Committee with votes reported as 6-3 and 7-2 in separate sources. Senate Elections Committee Chair Sen. Mike Gaskill stated that the amendment represented a compromise between the current 28-day period and a previously considered 14-day window.

Sen. Greg Walker voted against the amendment, stating opposition to reducing the early voting period. The amendment was added without public testimony, according to legislative records.

During the 2024 general election, nearly one-third of Indiana voters participated in early voting. Indiana’s early voting period would become shorter than the national average if the bill is enacted.

Indiana has historically ranked low in national voter turnout, but the state’s position improved in the Indiana Bar Foundation’s Civic Health Index for 2025. The proposed legislative changes continue to be considered as part of ongoing efforts to update election procedures in the state.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.