Indiana Conservation Voters Testimony on Senate Bill 10
The following testimony in opposition to Indiana Senate Bill 10 was delivered in the House Elections and Apportionment Committee on March 12, 2025. Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Chairman Wesco and members of the Committee,
My name is Delaney Barber Kwon, and I’m the Community and Government Affairs Manager at Indiana Conservation Voters. ICV works with elected officials and Hoosier voters to advocate for clean energy, clean water and clean air. We believe engaged voters will make choices that safeguard Indiana’s environment. For that reason, we oppose SB10.
Encouraging young people to participate in elections and imparting a habit of civic participation is vital for the health of our democracy. Considering Indiana’s bottom-of-the-barrel voter turnout, it’s difficult to understand why a ban on student ID is necessary. Student IDs have long been an acceptable form of identification for voting age students, and there’s been no evidence that they are being used to commit voter fraud.
ICV also opposes new restrictions that limit BMV-provided voter registrations to only certain transactions. This convenient service costs the state very little, and has helped Indiana achieve a historically high voter registration rate. It hasn’t created systemic problems with our voter rolls, nor that it has resulted in unqualified voters actually casting fraudulent votes.
ICV also wishes to note our opposition, broadly, to the sweeping changes to Indiana election law currently moving through the legislature. While no doubt they are offered in good faith, we feel their focus on creating obstacles for Hoosier voters misses the mark.
Indiana doesn’t have a voter-fraud problem. We have a voter-turnout problem. In the future, we hope the committee will consider legislation that expands access to the vote and encourages a sense of civic participation among Hoosiers. Because SB10 does neither, we must ask you to oppose it.
Thank you for your time.
