The election board and Democratic and Republican parties in Marion County, Ind., have agreed that neither foreclosure nor eviction is a permissible basis for challenging voter eligibility, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. said Friday.
The legal-aid group had filed a suit in Marion County Superior Court against the election board two days earlier on behalf of a family that had fallen behind on its mortgage. "The plaintiffs were uncertain of their legal right to cast a regular ballot after conflicting statements were attributed to the Marion County Republican Party Chairman, who maintained that foreclosure was a 'solid basis' for challenging voter eligibility on Election Day, and the Circuit Clerk, a Democrat, who disagreed," the defense fund said Friday.
Jenigh J. Garrett, an assistant counsel for the defense fund, said in a press release that the resulting settlement "helps ensure that our clients and all voters in Marion County will be able to vote in the Nov. 4 election without the threat of baseless challenges and intimidation."
There have also been reports this year in Michigan and Ohio that foreclosure could lead to disputes over people's eligibility to vote.
