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Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana House Bill 1218 eliminates straight-ticket voting in general and municipal elections
Last action · January 20, 2026: Representative Criswell added as coauthorSponsors: Edward Clere and 3 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Indiana House Bill 1218 eliminates the option for voters to cast a straight-ticket vote for all candidates of a single political party or independent ticket with one mark in general and municipal elections, effective July 1, 2026. The legislation repeals superseded statutes related to and makes conforming amendments across election laws regarding ballot layout, voting systems, and vote counting.
The measure alters how every voter fills out ballots in Indiana state, county, and municipal general elections by requiring individual candidate selection for all partisan offices, ending the decades-long practice of single-mark party voting.
- Straight-ticket voting has historically allowed voters in Indiana to select an entire party's slate of candidates with a single mark on general election ballots. context
- House Bill 1218 was introduced in the Indiana House of Representatives during the 2026 legislative session. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
voters
Voters must individually select candidates for each office on general and municipal election ballots rather than using a single straight-party mark.
county election boards
County election boards must update ballots, voting system testing procedures, and instructions to eliminate straight-ticket voting options.
political parties
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 20, 2026HouseRepresentative Criswell added as coauthor
- Jan 5, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Elections and Apportionment
- Jan 5, 2026HouseCoauthored by Representatives Dant Chesser, Hamilton
- Jan 5, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Clere
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Elimination of Straight-Ticket Voting
The bill systematically repeals multiple sections of the Indiana Code that previously authorized and regulated straight-ticket voting and counting rules.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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