Defending Hoosier Rights: Protecting Vote by Mail
by Lauri Shillings, September 2, 2025
In the face of growing national calls to end mail-in voting, Hoosiers deserve a strong defense of their right to vote in the way that works best for them. Voting is not a privilege for the few — it is a right guaranteed to every eligible citizen. That right should not be weakened by manufactured fears or political posturing.
Indiana Already Has Safeguards in Place
In Indiana, voting by mail is already tightly restricted. Our state has some of the most specific eligibility requirements in the country. In fact, we didn’t even loosen these restrictions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when other states took action to ensure access during a public health crisis. This means mail-in voting here has always been a controlled and secure process.
Voter ID Still Applies
Even when a Hoosier votes by mail, our Voter ID laws still apply. Indiana requires verification to ensure that the person casting the ballot is who they claim to be. The idea that mail-in ballots somehow bypass security checks is simply not true.
The Reality of Mail-In Voting
The numbers make this clear: of the nearly 2.94 million people who voted in 2024, only about 196,573 used mail-in ballots. That’s just 6.7% of the vote. Mail-in voting is not a system ripe for abuse — it is a small but critical lifeline for those who cannot vote in person.
Who Relies on It Most
Mail-in voting is most often used by elderly Hoosiers and members of the military serving our country away from home. Ending this option would strip these groups of their ability to participate in our democracy. That’s not election security — that’s voter suppression. The military is deployed in defending America’s freedom - why should they not get the same right to vote as everyone else?
Protecting Convenience, Protecting Rights
The truth is simple: mail-in voting is secure, limited, and essential for free and fair elections in Indiana. Taking it away creates new barriers for the very people who deserve our support the most — seniors who built our communities, and military families sacrificing for our freedom.
I will always stand up for Hoosiers’ right to vote in the way that is most accessible to them. Your right to vote should never be dictated by unnecessary federal intrusion into our elections — it should be protected for the people.