Election law bill passes Senate by unanimous vote

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI) - State Senator Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) authored Senate Bill 233, which unanimously passed the Senate Tuesday by a 50-0 vote. The bill would change a law passed last session, which removed the names of unopposed municipal candidates from the election ballot.

The law's intent was to save money by eliminating the need to print ballots where municipal candidates were unopposed. According to a news release, Alting said the decision to remove names of unopposed candidates was made based on good intentions but created some unexpected consequences. While the deletion of those candidates may have saved some printing costs, it increased voter confusion.

"I am a strong advocate of voting rights," Alting said. "I feel very passionate about helping my constituents who were upset and confused about the names of unopposed candidates not appearing on election ballots. My effort to put the names back on ballots is an attempt to keep voters engaged and involved, since they are the backbone of the democratic process."

The new law caused concern in Tippecanoe County, leading to a judge's decision to grant a preliminary injunction. The injunction allowed the names of unopposed candidates to be put back on the 2011 November ballot. Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarksi (D) was one of those names. Election officials worried if certain races weren't on the ballot, it would prevent some individuals from voting entirely.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration.