INDIANAPOLIS – Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane (D-Anderson) had the following response to a federal judge’s Tuesday ruling that prohibits election officials from enforcing the requirement that mail-in absentee ballots be received no later than noon on Election Day:

“This is a big win for our state. We saw in the June primary over 500,000 Hoosiers attempt to vote absentee in the mail. Unfortunately, the arbitrary noon deadline forced many to have to vote in person, causing unsafe crowding during a public health crisis.

“The data show that many Hoosiers are opting to vote absentee to stay safe during this pandemic. We should be giving every opportunity for them to do so. Counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day is a smart step to maintaining our constitutional right to vote while allowing all Hoosiers to protect their health.”