Bill
HB 1019
HB1019 would place a ballot question asking voters to amend Indiana's Constitution to let city/town court judges live in the court's county or the nearest bordering county.
Status & procedural posture
- Bill type: Act prescribing ballot language for a proposed state constitutional amendment.
- Sponsor: Rep. Aylesworth.
- First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary (12/01/2025).
- Action required: submission of the proposed amendment to voters at the 2026 general election.
- Effective date provision in the bill: July 1, 2026 (if the amendment process and timing proceed as described).
Purpose and intent
- To prescribe the exact public question that will appear on the 2026 general election ballot asking voters whether to amend the Indiana Constitution (Article 6, Section 6) to change residency rules for city or town court judges.
- The measure implements the procedural requirement (Article 16, Section 1 of the Indiana Constitution and IC 3-10-3) that the General Assembly specify ballot language for constitutional amendments submitted to voters.
Ballot language prescribed by HB 1019
Public Question #1
"Shall the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to permit the judge of a city or town court to reside in:
(1) the county in which the court is located; or
(2) the bordering county closest to the city or town in which the court is located?
(This question concerns Article 6, Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana.)"
Key substantive change if amendment is later ratified by voters
- Current or prior text (Article 6, Section 6) has a residency requirement for city/town court judges; the proposed amendment would allow a judge to reside either in the county containing the court or in the bordering county closest to the city/town that houses the court.
- This would expand the geographic residency options for eligibility to hold a city or town court judgeship.
Who would be affected
- Prospective and current city/town court judges who are subject to constitutional residency requirements.
- Municipalities and counties, especially border communities where the nearest population or qualified candidates may live across a county line.
- Voters may see differences in candidate eligibility and the candidate pool for local judicial offices.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Expands the pool of eligible judicial candidates for city and town courts, potentially easing recruitment in sparsely populated or border areas.
- Administrative effect is primarily electoral/eligibility-related; no direct state appropriation or ongoing fiscal impact is inherent in prescribing ballot language. Any fiscal effects would be minimal and limited to routine election administration costs in 2026.
- The amendment would become effective only if approved by a majority of voters at the 2026 general election and then implemented in state law/administration per constitutional procedure.
Timing / next steps
- The ballot question, as prescribed by HB 1019, would be placed on the 2026 general election ballot.
- Voter approval at that election would be required to change the constitution.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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