According to 2024’s numbers, the bill could impact hundreds of thousands of independent voters  

A move to silence more than a quarter of registered voters in Indiana could go into effect in next year’s elections. Senate Bill (SB) 201 a bill that could close Indiana’s primaries, diminishes the voting power of hundreds of thousands of Indiana voters.  Common Cause Indiana is urging the Indiana General Assembly to reject it.   

“All voters deserve a say in who represents them and in many local elections, the best opportunity to have that say is in primaries. Legislators must put their people above partisan interests and leave primaries open for all voters, Republican, Democrat and independent voters,” said Julia Vaughn, Executive Director of Common Cause Indiana.

Currently, Indiana allows “unaffiliated” or independent to vote in primaries. More than 25 percent of registered voters in Indiana consider themselves independent voters and in recent years, more and more voters have been opting for that registration status.   

With primary election turnout already low, and primaries becoming more and more important due to partisan gerrymandering, shutting out more than 25 percent of eligible voters is an affront to our democracy.