Secretary of State Diego Morales’ office has referred a single case of a noncitizen voting in Indiana to law enforcement in Vigo County, due to a new controversial voter verification process.
Morales said on Sept. 12 that his office discovered a noncitizen who voted in multiple elections dating back to 2018. His office discovered the voter, who has not been identified, through the state’s new voter verification process that requires proof of citizenship for voter registration linked to Bureau of Motor Vehicles-issued temporary credentials.
“One case is one too many—and this is exactly why we passed House Enrolled Act 1264,” Morales said in a release, referring to an election integrity law passed last year. “From day one, I’ve said my biggest accomplishment since taking office is finally requiring proof of citizenship, because only U.S. citizens should be able to vote.”
Nearly three million Hoosiers voted in the 2024 general election, while about 4.8 million are registered.
Before the law’s passage in 2024, opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, criticized the measure for giving the idea of voter fraud “disproportionate attention despite its rarity,” and its potential to disenfranchise some voters.
Morales’ office said this case was discovered after the BMV provided the secretary of state’s election division with a list of individuals holding temporary credentials, which indicate noncitizen status, as required under the 2024 law.
That list was matched with the statewide voter registration system, according to the office, producing 1,611 registrations tied to temporary credentials.
Notices were sent requiring proof of citizenship within 30 days, according to the office, and one individual responded with a Mexican passport.
“It was then discovered this person had voted in several elections since 2018,” according to Morales’ office.
Morales said the case “validates the law” and proves reforms are necessary and effective.
“The Vigo County case shows our work is paying off and demonstrates that Indiana is leading the way in election integrity—and we will continue to do so,” Morales said in the release.
The state said no charges have yet been filed against the individual and that the case has been referred to the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office.
It’s unclear if the review of all 1,611 cases has been completed. IndyStar reached out to the secretary of state’s office with questions about the review, but a spokesperson did not immediately respond.
Meanwhile, Morales’ office is working with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to confirm citizenship of voter registrations, hoping to verify 99% of Indiana’s voter rolls. Morales’ office was granted access to a system to verify the rolls in July. It’s called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, data system.
Last fall, Morales and Attorney General Todd Rokita requested the federal government’s help in verifying about 600,000 Indiana voters. The move was opposed by voting rights advocates at the time, who feared it could entangle older Hoosiers who had registered to vote long before more stringent verification requirements went into effect.
Voters who are flagged by the SAVE and cannot have their citizenship verified by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be notified via mail and given 30 days to provide proof of citizenship, IndyStar previously reported.
IndyStar reporter Marissa Meador contributed to this report.
Hayleigh Colombo is the senior government accountability reporter from IndyStar. She can be reached at hcolombo@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Diego Morales: Review of BMV registrations reveals one voter fraud case