Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

Additional support is provided by ParrRichey.

It's Indiana Week in Review for the week ending June 12th, 2026.

Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

Additional support is provided by ParrRichey.

Hundreds of immigrant voters were challenged under a new Indiana law and have now had their voter registrations revoked.

Mike Murrell has more from our reporting partners at Indiana Capital Chronicle.

On the voter citizenship verification process and its impact on naturalized citizens in Indiana.

Indiana has rejected or canceled more than 60% of voter registrations challenged under Indiana's proof of citizenship law involving naturalized citizens.

This is according to a report filed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

The law allows state officials to compare voter registration records against the Bureau of Motor Vehicles data to identify possible non-citizens on Indiana's voter rolls.

But voting rights advocates argue the system can wrongly flag legal voters, because BMV records may not always reflect updated citizenship status after someone becomes a naturalized U.S.

citizen.

According to the Capitol Chronicle, several hundred additional cases are still pending.

Supporters of the law say it helps protect election integrity while critics argue eligible voters could lose access to the ballot because of outdated records or documentation issues.

What does this mean for immigrant voters in Indiana?

It's the first question for our Indiana Week in Review panel.

Democrat Lara Beck, Republican Joey Fox Oseye Boyd, editor in chief at Mirror Indy, and Niki Kelly, editor in chief at Indiana Capital Chronicle.

I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

So, Lara, does this improve Indiana's election security, do you think?

Well, I'm glad you asked, Jill, because I have thoughts about this.

no, I think this is just part of a, broader effort to disenfranchize voters.

I mean, people who are not, citizens can't vote to begin with.

So, I mean, essentially, we are essentially they are trying to demonize immigrants and by taking them off the voter rolls, that is a way to say these others can't vote.

but again, going back to the broader effort, I think Donald Trump knows that he is not going to fare well in in the midterms, I think he knows his party is, going to have a really tough, tough run of the midterms.

So you're already going to see him.

He's already talking about questioning voter outcomes.

there's now movement.

there's been some recent reporting, that in the state House that they're trying to, go to closed primaries.

And mark my words, if Beau Bayh when.

Beau back when Beau Bayh wins Secretary of State I think you're going to see legislation filed immediately in the state House to make that an appointed position.

Very similar to what happened when, Glenda Ritz beat Tony Bennett.

So I, I think this is just part of a broader pattern and this new law that, went into effect, last year.

What?

It really hinges on the driver's license.

And is this functioning as it should then, in the state, Joey.

So we have to make sure that the the baseline of all of this discussion is kind of to Lara's point, is that non-citizens shouldn't be voting in elections, right?

That is illegal.

This is a way to check that.

What I would hate to see, right, is somebody that has gone through the effort of becoming a citizen of this country, right.

And then being turned away.

This is why we have, provisional balloting, right?

To ensure that the votes are counted, that need to be counted.

and I just as a brief aside, I guess, I mean, I would wonder if this would catch, Secretary Morales's a former deputy chief of staff.

if that would have, maybe, maybe, maybe been caught in the process had this been there.

But, I mean, we you did speak to, a voter who found this to be an added burden, and, well, they were actually affidavits.

This is part of a lawsuit that that data was in in a lawsuit from groups that are challenging this law.

And they also had affidavits from five voters who were naturalized and who had to basically go through this extra hoop to find their data, where their records send them, you know, within 30 days, which depending on when you get it and how how the mail system works lately is not sure there where one of the women said that that the note from the Marion County Marion County Voters office didn't even have a date on it, so she didn't know when the 30 days started or ended.

so basically, the question is kind of how much more of a hurdle are these people having to go through?

I do want to just note we don't know if any of those people voted.

We just know they were registered.

And obviously we've seen over time, I think we know from various stories that occasionally the people with the BMV, they just offer it to every voter who's getting or every person who's there getting their license, and they say, oh, do you want to register to vote while you're here?

And so some people, I think, do just go ahead and do that automatically.

And, and, you know, maybe they don't realize they're not supposed to or whatever.

So it's some interesting data, but we don't know for sure how many actually voted.

We also don't know for sure, like a lot of them, you know, they kicked like 60% out.

But it was it just because they didn't like where they two days late with their records?

I mean, we don't know that kind of stuff.

I at a time though, when Indiana has, you know, historically low voter turnout.

Is this something, that we're doing as a state to just push more people away?

Yes.

That's what it seems like.

it's to Niki's point when you go to the BMV, you just ask, do you want to register?

People just automatically do it.

There's no there's no rules online.

You should or can't wait.

She's.

Hey, go ahead and register.

So people think they're doing what they're supposed to do.

there's a lot of people who are naturalized citizens who should be registered, who are who are caught up in this, quagmire, if you will.

and we are voter fraud.

Fraud?

We have not seen widespread voter fraud in this state.

And on top of that, we have very low turnout.

So what are we trying to do here?

What do we want, Hoosiers to do?

Do we want them to vote or not?

we get a message about, voter security all the time, but that's just one of those plays, I think, to your point, leading up to.

We repeat it over and over.

People now think.

People now think even though we have no evidence that we have widespread voter fraud.

People truly believe that.

And they think that people who are voting, who shouldn't vote, and that's just not the case.

And we don't get enough people out to vote.

And the fraud piece of it.

Well, it depends on whatever media media ecosystem you're living in, right?

So if you're living in a media ecosystem where there is rampant fraud and there is no proof of fraud, you still are going to believe there's rampant fraud.

So I think that's also part of the challenge as well.

is is a messaging piece.

But, you know, I think with the abysmal numbers we have, I think our efforts should be on getting more people out to vote, especially, do you think we'll see more legislation at the state House to continue to try to target, voters.

target voters?

I don't know what that means.

I do I think there will be more legislative action on election integrity.

Sure.

I've not heard of anything specific that's coming down the pike for this next session.

No, but it wouldn't wouldn't surprise me if there's further efforts.

So we'll be watching.

Indiana school experts are predicting around 40 to 50 school referendums will appear on the November ballot.

That's significantly more than in previous elections.

Caroline Beck reports on what may be driving the increase.

Senate Enrolled Act one from last year is one of the biggest factors behind schools concerns about future budgeting.

The law increase property tax reductions for homeowners, which means schools will see less funding for things like transportation, maintenance and utilities.

That is, unless they can get voters to approve a higher tax rate through a school referendum.

Scott Bowling is the executive director for the Indiana Association of School Business Officials.

He says based on data, they've collected, some schools will likely receive less local revenue in 2029 than they did in 2025.

So that is not a decrease to the increase.

That is a real meaningful cut, especially in the inflationary environment we're talking about.

Local school boards have until early August to submit a referendum question for the November ballot.

So, Joey, how do you think local communities might react to this school referendum?

One at a time, as it's designed.

these this is a process we put this was the kind of the trade off for getting a cap on property taxes.

Back in 2000 and.

Nine.

Yes.

Yes.

I mean, we're back to Mitch Daniels days, right?

When we said this this far and no further on taxes, over the intervening time.

Right.

Assessments have changed, right, for the needs of local communities change.

And so the trade off was if you need more money or you think you need more money, you go ask your community to do it.

I think some of the efforts that have taken place over the years, for example, to move these to general elections, right, and move, moving them into the kind of even your general elections, I think is, is very helpful, increases turnout and gives more people, more people a voice.

I don't think we should judge these things, though.

En masse, each community is going to have to go make its case, to, to their voters.

And if that community wants higher taxes, they're welcome to vote for it.

Well, the general election piece as well.

You me used to have more opportunities for schools to pass these referendums.

And now that's actually, last time I know there's an argument whether or not that's a benefit or not.

But then, of course, with most of this hinging on SEA1, which has really impacted we're hearing communities.

So yeah, it is it's upended local government, and all and all basically agencies of local government because it is when when you have a campaign ad that says, I cut your property taxes, I lowered your property taxes, they're not going to be saying you're actually going to be that's going to be negated by you having to pay for the multiple cars you have with the wheel tax.

so, you know, most local communities can continue to get, continue to get state funding.

It's also negated by the fact that you're going to have school referendums and that you're paying more, or that you may not have the services that you've come to expect from your local government.

So I think what we're seeing with that is it is really going to hamstring local governments.

And we knew last year, going into the budgeting session for local governments, they were already waving the flag that this was concerning.

I think we're going to continue to see it more.

And that is really going to hit people, especially because we're in such an affordability crisis.

The affordability crisis, Niki, I mean, well, will that be a factor?

I mean, usually, no, I don't I don't have any numbers.

But referendum likely do pass in many communities.

But will we see some of that?

Yeah.

Statistically.

they I think it's like 6040 or something like that, though they more recently have started to lose more often.

so I think it'll be interesting to see at the end, initial estimate was we might see like 100 memorandums.

That seems to have narrowed a bit.

yeah.

But also in addition to that, we're not going to get as much money as we expected because of SEA1.

They've changed when you can go.

And so it's now or you have to wait another two years.

Right.

And so schools are like, well we better do this because we won't have another opportunity for another two years because they, you know, now have to do them on the even a general election year.

Right.

Oseye also, you know, the issue of, partisan school boards and that may play a factor, as we've seen some Indiana leaders push back against referendums in communities.

Yeah, it definitely could play a factor when you have some people saying I am anti referendum.

and many times people don't understand exactly why schools need as much money as they do because, Tea Party started with, with why are you raising our taxes for schools?

And now we have now the state is saying, well, we didn't raise property tax.

We're going to put it on local government.

And in school they're saying we need more because there's so many things that weren't there before.

I didn't have technology the way they do today.

you know, we didn't have, gyms the way they did.

We didn't.

Sports were not the thing that they are today.

So we we don't have the the main gym, the auxiliary gym, and the boys gym.

You know, all these things.

There are so many things that have to have changed for schools.

And they have to actually, add things into, into, into the buildings to make them accessible.

So I think a lot of times taxpayers don't understand that because they're not getting that information.

They're thinking about when they were in school, but also when you see your taxes keep going up and up.

But your state is saying, well, we didn't raise your taxes.

but the local government is.

So then the anger is at the local government in schools, but they're trying to do the job of educating the students who live in your community.

So it's it's one of those points of contention that I don't know the solve for it.

And it doesn't seem to be a solve for it because we just seem to be just creating more problems.

Well, we're also moving to to universal choice with vouchers.

So schools are also looking at that and their bottom line and how that's going to be impacted as well.

And that could who knows.

That may be also playing a role in it too.

Good point.

It's time now for viewer feedback.

Every week we pose an unscientific online poll question.

This week's question will you support a school referendum?

If it's on your ballot in November?

Answer yes or no.

The last question posed to viewers Will the bears move to Indiana?

Have a positive economic impact?

55% saying yes and 45% answering no.

If you would like to take part in the poll, go to WFYI.org/IWIR and look for the poll.

Lawmakers and faith leaders gathered at the Statehouse Thursday in support of religious freedom, calling for, quote, faith over fear.

Ben Thorp reports the event comes after Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith was on a podcast last month talking about his hate for Islam and hope that all Muslims would convert to Christianity.

Both Republicans and Democrats gathered at the statehouse to show support for religious freedom in Indiana.

State Treasurer Daniel Elliot and Senator Spencer Deery both gave statements.

Senator Fady Qaddoura, who is Muslim, called on governor Mike Braun to make a public statement affirming his support for religious liberty.

We need the governor to tell the public that he, as the highest elected, elected executive, does not stand for hate.

Governor Mike Braun has said he wouldn't have used the same words as Beckwith, but Qaddoura says that statement isn't enough.

The governor's office did not respond to WFYIs request for comment.

So, Niki, why do you think we're seeing an increase in Indiana leaders with these types of statements?

do you mean, and national as well?

Are we talking about against certain faiths or supporting.

I'm sorry.

We will talk about both.

Okay.

So I mean, obviously, I just think the whole world has changed a little.

And a lot of people are saying things out loud that they previously kept just in their hearts.

Right?

But now we say them out loud and we often don't think about, you know, where that puts other people.

and so I, you know, I had a reporter go to this event, said it was a really nice, uplifting event with both Republicans and Democrats.

Many faiths, represented there.

And they were really just trying to combat a negative, you know, I guess, tone with a more positive one.

And so I thought it was I thought it was a very, very nice event.

It was a nicely attended bipartisan event.

Oseye, what do you think?

is this also part of, you know, the national conversation that we're hearing, comments like this coming from leaders?

Oh, yeah.

To Niki's point, what people had in their hearts, it's coming out out of their mouths now.

people are no longer afraid to express these views.

And it is, its disheartening to hear our lieutenant governor say such things because it is not, it is very incendiary, and it makes for an unsafe, place for a lot of people.

We in this United States of America, we have a thing called the First Amendment.

And you are allowed to believe or not believe, whatever you want.

You are allowed to have religion or not.

And so you can't just decide we want everyone to convert.

that's not what this country is about.

And to say that and to make it, to negate that someone else's faith is just not what we're supposed to be about in this country.

So it was very disheartening to hear the lieutenant governor say that.

And then also governor Braun not really come out forcefully enough to me to really, say that we shouldn't we shouldn't talk like that.

Joey, what do you think this moment tells as compared to, you know, the RFRA moments of Religious Freedom Restoration Act during, Governor Pence's stay?

I mean, they're two completely different religious freedom, discussions.

Yeah.

Well, I mean, the the religious freedom discussion that's based in the Constitution is much more along the lines of what you were talking about and not what the lieutenant governor has has said here.

we're in a pluralistic society.

We're very different.

We're a big, big country, with lots and lots of views.

We have to find ways that we can tolerate differences.

these things, especially when these are our neighbors.

These are our friends.

I mean, I'm old enough to remember that right after 911, President Bush went to a mosque, right in the lower Manhattan to make sure that folks realized, you know, that we have to treat each other with with respect.

I think an event like this with comments from Daniel Elliott and others, I think, set the right tone for where we need to be as a state.

I mean, we did hear Governor Braun respond, but many, have said that maybe he should be a little stronger in his response.

Yeah.

I mean, I think Governor Braun is he's in a tough spot, but I think that is a tough spot when you're governor and you have to make tough calls.

And I think one of the things for him, I was disappointed in it, because, as a fellow Catholic, Governor Braun's also Catholic.

As a fellow Catholic, I mean, I my grandfather used to tell stories about how the Klan would march up and down Meridian Street in front of his high school when he was a high school student.

So we are not that far removed from those days, and I think everyone within their own personal history can dig back to those moments and and remember those.

And it's incumbent upon all of us to, to be that kind of change.

but I also think that Micah Beckwith is really good at gaming the algorithm.

He knows that outreach equals engagement, and he's going to get a reaction if he wants that attention.

It fires up his base.

it is serving a purpose for him, however gross that purpose is, it serves a purpose for him.

And so I think by doing rallies and by bringing people together and standing up against it will help us from going to those days of the Klan or something similar to that, because it's not that far in our recent history.

I mean, you've said, Niki, that maybe we should not give this the attention that it that it, is it's a fine line that journalists have to deal with, especially when you have a person who makes sort of outrageous statements constantly, you know, are you covering them or are you giving them, you know, life?

and so that's a balancing act that people are having to take.

You mentioned Dan Eliot's comments.

Our state treasurer, which I thought were I think I think that's what people wanted to hear from Governor Braun, which is, you know, right now it's, you know, Islam that we're picking on.

But then it could be, you know, people of the Jewish faith.

And then it can be specific segments of Christianity.

And Dan Elliott himself, as a member of the Church of Latter day Saints.

And so we've seen just this week on the federal level.

Yeah, some topics about whether that counts as being Christian.

And so he was just giving a very cautionary note up.

It might be you might be okay with it right now for Islam, but it's soon that it will just keep going to other other faiths.

This slippery, slippery slope.

Always a slippery slope, is always your next and whether you realize it or not.

It's scary.

I think where it's also though.

But looking at taking a step back and thinking about the broader electoral landscape, I have had so many people within my own life who are not political, who live in swing districts, who say, I can't vote for this party because of this guy.

He went after band kids in Westfield, and no one is standing up to him.

And so I as people go to the voting booth, these are going to be things that they're thinking about in swing districts.

We shall see.

Well, a new report estimates that Indiana farmers lost more than $600 million in agricultural experts exports during the first year of the latest US-China trade dispute.

WFIUs Clayton Baumgarth reports.

Researchers at North Dakota State University estimate Indiana lost about $607 million in agricultural exports to China between March of 2025 and February of 2026.

Soybeans accounted for the largest share of those losses at roughly $347 million, followed by corn and around $104 million.

Indiana ranked among the states most affected by the tariffs.

Researchers found the current trade dispute had a larger impact on agricultural exports than the 2018 and 2019 US-China trade war.

The report says a recently announced trade framework could help rebuild exports if future purchase commitments are met.

So Oseye are Indiana farmers in trouble.

May be too early to tell, but I think you have to ask the farmers and they may say that they are or are getting close to it.

that's a lot of money to.

That's a lot of money.

And, there's really not much you can do to make that up as a farmer.

And as far as China goes and looks to other countries Brazil, Argentina, will they ever come back to our farmers?

That's part of the that's part of the issue.

Part of the question.

Right.

Will we ever gain a relationship back?

Once they find someone else to supply their needs?

so that's very concerning for the farmers.

And also, when you dealing with yields and lower yields than usual, there's so many factors that farmers have no control over.

This is one more stressor.

Well, we have had some relief from the federal government for farmers.

do you think that's enough right now?

Probably not.

I mean, farm finance is just a God bless these, these these, these people.

We literally couldn't live without them.

But when you think of the way you operate, if you go to a bank, you get a loan.

You put stuff in the ground and then you pray right at the end, at the end of the day, that you can pay that loan back at the end of at the end of the season and have a going concern going forward.

So, I think this, this added stress of this is it's pretty terrible, right, for, for farmers.

That said, on the politics of it, I think you still see a lot of support, for, for the, for these policies and maybe this, this idea that, hey, this is a transitory, you know, thing, that this is an important fight that we need to have globally.

and then to your point, Osaeye, that, you know, they come back, right?

And buy.

I mean, it does seem like a little bit of a quiet crisis we're talking about, you know, migrant workers.

We're talking about fertilizer.

We're talking about, heavy machinery.

what, who's your farmer to do?

Well, I mean, I think it's a clear, concrete sign that the tariffs are a disaster, right?

This is an economic.

This is an economic impact crater.

And, but you still are going to have farmers who are going to be voting for Donald Trump, even though these policies are hurting them, unfortunately.

So I think we have to get creative about how we support them.

We have to get creative about making sure that they're getting what they need because it does.

Because ultimately, we want to make sure that these costs are not being passed on to the consumer.

I mean, this is this it's all interconnected.

And, but starting with those tariffs, I think it's it's a failed experiment and it's going very poorly.

Have you done any reporting on, say the Hoosier farmers right now?

Because, I mean, I think they've had a rough couple of years, right?

I mean, tariffs, fuel prices, general inflation, and yes, the federal government has given them some relief.

But that was caused by the federal government, right.

Like they only had to give them that relief because they caused problems in the first place with, you know, policy changes.

And so, you know, I think they are definitely hoping for a reprieve in the next year.

Well, it's also this week, started the FIFA World Cup and the real quick around the horn.

I mean, are you going to be watching day?

No, no, not a soccer fan.

I feel like I'm not either.

I was I. Was going to try to make something up there, but I'll tell you, I'm going to talk to somebody on on Twitter though.

And Instagram, they are bunch of the Europeans that are over in the states that are traveling around like discovering Buckees and the good.

That is.

The best thing happening on the internet right now is watching Europeans discover the real.

America.

Are youa fan at all Niki?

Will you be watching Oseye?

I am a soccer fan too.

Yeah, so I made my son play when he was little.

Well, I enjoy soccer and so I may watch here and there.

Yeah, it's not.

Even glued to the TV.

I feel like Indiana get a little more soccer here.

They're not at this table.

Maybe.

Well, that's Indiana Week in review for this week.

Our panel has been Democrat Lara Beck, Republican Joey Fox.

Oseye Boyd editor in chief at Mirror Indy.

And Niki Kelly editor in chief at Indiana capital Chronicle.

You can find Indiana Week in Reviews podcast and episodes at WFYI.org/IWIR or on the PBS app.

I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

Join us next time because a lot can happen in an Indiana week.