PHOENIX: With the signature of Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana now becomes the fifth state to guarantee its citizens a right to a secret ballot in elections, including union organizing elections. House Bill 1203 guaranteeing Indiana employees the right to a secret ballot passed Indiana’s House with a vote of 60-33 and the Senate with a vote of 35-6.

Said Tim Mooney, National Coordinator of Save Our Secret Ballot,

“Indiana employees are now further protected from harassment and intimidation in the workplace. With the signature of Governor Mitch Daniels, and because of the leadership of Senator Jim Banks, who originally championed the idea, Indiana is now the fifth state where its citizens and employees are specifically guaranteed a secret ballot when making the decision whether or not to have a union represent them. Thank you Governor Daniels and Senator Banks!”

Last year voters in four states -- Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah -- all overwhelmingly passed similar secret ballot guarantees as amendments to their constitution, with voter approval ranging from 60% to 86%. The movement for states to guarantee secret ballot rights for their citizens is in response to potential Democratic Congressional legislation that would end secret ballot use in union organizing elections and movement by the National Labor Relations Board that could end secret ballot usage.

This month, the Obama appointed National Labor Relations Board sued the state of Arizona to block the guaranteed use of secret ballots in union organizing elections. Save Our Secret Ballot has petitioned to join in the suit to defend secret ballot rights.

Continued Mooney,

“With the Obama Administration continuing to oppose secret ballots for employee elections, Indiana’s success is significant. We hope as many states as possible will join the trend and say once and for all that in this state we believe a secret ballot is a fundamental right for all elections, including union organizing elections. SOS Ballot will continue to press states to act and block Big Labor and the Obama Administration’s assault on this basic tenet of democracy.”

Save Our Secret Ballot is a national 501-c-4 organization, dedicated to the guaranteed use of the secret ballot for all elections, including union organizing elections. For more information, please visit www.sosballot.org.