Indiana State Conference of NAACP v. Gargano (Indiana)

(Formerly NAACP v. Murphy)

Citing clear evidence that Indiana public assistance agencies have violated their federally mandated responsibility to offer tens of thousands of clients the opportunity to register to vote each year, Project Vote and its partner voting rights groups filed suit against officials in Indiana for violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

Plaintiffs include the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP and Paris Alexander, an Indiana resident and Food Stamp Program client who was not provided the opportunity to register to vote. The plaintiffs are represented by lawyers from Project Vote, Dēmos, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP, and the ACLU of Indiana, and by the law firms of Miner, Barnhill & Galland and Schwartz, Lichten, & Bright. Defendants include officials from Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), the co-directors of the Indiana Election Division, and the members of the Indiana Election Commission.

The complaint alleges that Indiana public assistance agencies have been virtually ignoring their federal obligations under the NVRA to offer voter registration to all Indiana citizens who apply for public assistance at FSSA offices, including applicants for Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Medicaid. Congress mandated that voter registration be offered at public assistance agencies (along with the more familiar “motor voter” requirement that registration be offered at motor vehicle bureaus) to ensure that low-income citizens would have the same opportunity for convenient voter registration as other residents.

The NVRA violations in Indiana are part of an ongoing national problem involving a failure by many states to provide the voter registration opportunities mandated by the statute.

On August 25, 2011, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt approved the settlement that requires Indiana to implement specific measures to ensure that thousands of low-income residents have the opportunity to register to vote at state public assistance offices.

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Voter Registration Law Helps Close Disparities in Voter Turnout

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A recent article in Bloomberg View highlights some of work conducted by Project Vote and our partners to further the implementation and goals of the NVRA. Read more

More Hoosiers Registered To Vote After Federal Law Enacted

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More than 53,000 low-income Hoosiers have registered to vote since the federal lawsuit was settled in 2011. Read more

Report Cites Rise In Voter Registrations Following Suit

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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission report says that 53,000 low-income Hoosiers either applied to register or updated their registrations from 2011 to 2012. Read more

More Hoosiers register to vote through public assistance offices

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According to Project Vote, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization that works to empower, educate and mobilize marginalized and under-represented voters, the increase is the result of a lawsuit settled in 2011. Read more

Nearly 53,000 Low-Income Indianans Apply to Register to Vote

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A dramatic increase in voter registration applications from public assistance agencies is the result of a successful lawsuit brought by voting rights groups to bring the state into compliance with the NVRA. Read more

Indiana Settles Class Action Lawsuit Regarding Compliance with the NVRA

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Today, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt approved the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against Indiana officials to bring the State into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (“NVRA”).  Read more

Indiana State Conference of NAACP v. Gargano: Settlement Agreement

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Settlement agreement in which Indiana public assistance agencies agree to comply with voter registration requirements of the National Voter Registration Act. Read more

Voting Rights Groups Sue Indiana for Neglecting Low-Income Voters

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Citing clear evidence that Indiana public assistance agencies have violated their federally mandated responsibility to offer tens of thousands of clients the opportunity to register to vote each year, a coalition of voting rights groups filed suit today against officials in Indiana for violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more

Groups press FSSA to let clients register to vote

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When low-income Hoosiers turn to state social-services offices for help, they're supposed to get something more than financial assistance. They're also supposed to be able to register to vote. Read more

Indiana State Conference of NAACP v. Gargano: Notice Letter

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Pre-litigation notice letter concerning Indiana's violations of Sec. 7 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Read more