HB 1404 Summary

• Defines "emergency first responder" to include military members, public safety officers, public utility employees, and physicians with unlimited medical licenses.

• Permits emergency first responders responding to emergency declarations to apply for and receive absentee ballots by electronic mail or fax, with application deadline of noon the day before election day.

• Creates new criminal offense: knowingly or intentionally sending false voting history communications to five or more individuals constitutes a Class D felony.

• Allows emergency first responders to submit absentee ballot applications electronically with scanned signatures and to receive ballots via email or fax.

• Makes technical amendments to election procedures to accommodate emergency first responder absentee voting and updates crime statute descriptions in Indiana Code.