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HB1377 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning elections.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning elections.

Elections
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Zach Payne
Last action
2026-03-04
Official status
Enrolled House Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on vote counting methods for paper ballots with a straight ticket, which was mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Indiana Election Voting Changes

This law changes Indiana's election rules to allow counting of individual votes for certain offices even if the voter also voted for all candidates from one party.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes old rules that stopped counting straight-party votes for some types of elections.
  • Gets rid of a rule about where on the ballot certain candidate names must appear.
  • If someone picks both individual candidates and a straight-party vote, only the individual choices count if there are too many to be elected.
  • Straight-party votes still count for other offices not affected by this change.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Voters in Indiana who use straight party voting on their ballots.
  • Election officials responsible for counting votes and running elections.

Terms To Know

Straight-party vote
When a voter chooses all candidates from one political party without picking individual candidates for each office.
At-large district
An area where more than one person is elected to represent the whole district, not specific parts of it.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not explain how votes are counted if there are too many individual choices for an office.
  • It's unclear what happens if a voter picks fewer candidates than can be elected in an at-large district.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB1377.03.ENGH.AMS03

Committee Engrossed House Bill (S) • Senator Mike Gaskill

Filed

Plain English: This amendment focuses on making changes related to paper ballots in Indiana's election laws.

  • The amendment aims to modify the existing Indiana Code regarding elections, specifically concerning paper ballots.
  • The official text provided is very brief and does not specify exactly what changes will be made to the law about paper ballots.
HB1377.02.COMH.AMH001

Filed House Bill (H) • Representative Zach Payne

Passed

Plain English: This amendment does not provide specific changes to the bill and is marked as 'second', indicating it might be procedural or a placeholder.

  • The official text of the amendment does not specify any concrete changes, making it unclear what effect this amendment would have.
HB1377.04.COMS.AMS001

Filed House Bill (S) • Senator Tyler Johnson

Passed

Plain English: This amendment changes the Indiana Code regarding elections, but the specific details of what it amends are not provided in the given text.

  • The exact change to the Indiana Code concerning elections is not specified in the provided information.
  • The official amendment text does not provide enough detail about the specific changes being made to the Indiana Code.
HB1377.04.COMS.AMS002

Filed House Bill (S) • Senator Rodney Pol

Failed

Plain English: This amendment would change how voter registration is handled in Indiana.

  • It would allow voters to register online or by mail without needing a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
  • The exact details and implementation steps are not provided, making it unclear how this change will be carried out in practice.
HB1377.04.COMS.AMS003

Filed House Bill (S) • Senator Andrea Hunley

X

Plain English: This amendment changes how voter registration works in Indiana by allowing voters to register online or through a mobile app.

  • Allows voters to register to vote using an online system or a mobile application.
  • The official text does not provide details on how the online and mobile registration systems will work, such as security measures or specific requirements for users.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-04 House

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2026-03-04 House

    Public Law 99

  3. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  4. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  5. 2026-02-26 House

    Signed by the Speaker

  6. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Returned to the House with amendments

  7. 2026-02-25 House

    House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 383: yeas 69, nays 27

  8. 2026-02-25 House

    Motion to concur filed

  9. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 260: yeas 39, nays 9

  10. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Senator Alexander added as second sponsor

  11. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  12. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Amendment #1 (Johnson T) prevailed; voice vote

  13. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Amendment #3 (Hunley) failed; voice vote

  14. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  15. 2026-01-27 Senate

    First reading: referred to Committee on Elections

  16. 2026-01-23 House

    Referred to the Senate

  17. 2026-01-22 House

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 82: yeas 71, nays 20

  18. 2026-01-22 House

    Senate sponsor: Senator Johnson T

  19. 2026-01-20 House

    Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  20. 2026-01-20 House

    Amendment #1 (Payne) prevailed; voice vote

  21. 2026-01-20 House

    Representatives Lawson, Prescott added as coauthors

  22. 2026-01-15 House

    Representative Wesco added as coauthor

  23. 2026-01-14 House

    Committee report: do pass, adopted

  24. 2026-01-08 House

    Authored by Representative Payne

  25. 2026-01-08 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Elections and Apportionment

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning elections.
Straight ticket voting.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning elections.

Straight ticket voting.

Repeals provisions that prohibit counting straight party votes for candidates for election to an at-large district to which more than one person may be elected. Removes a provision requiring particular ballot placement when more than one candidate may be elected to an office. Provides that if a voter votes a straight party ticket and also selects one or more individual candidates for an office to which more than one person may be elected, the: (1) individual votes shall be counted unless the total number of individual votes is greater than the number of persons to be elected to the office; (2) straight party votes for the office shall not be counted; and (3) straight party votes for other offices on the ballot shall be counted. Makes conforming amendments. Specifies how a vote is counted with a straight ticket on a paper ballot.