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Lauri A. Shillings

Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, Indiana · Open seat

Creative director, University of Indianapolis marketing office; owner of the design firm Pirate Smile Media

Lauri Shillings lives in Carmel and has chaired the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County since about 2020. She was the Libertarian candidate for Indiana's 5th Congressional District in 2024. Delegates at the Libertarian Party of Indiana's state convention in Fort Wayne in March 2026 nominated her for secretary of state.

Where Shillings stands

Voter eligibility / citizenship verification: Says current checks and balances are enough and there has been very little voter fraud in the last 10 years, so she does not think expanding them is necessary.
Election transparency: Calls for more training for state election officials to make sure elections are properly overseen.
Voter data privacy: Criticized Secretary Morales for handing Indiana's voter rolls to the federal government, saying the move raises privacy concerns. Says her first priority is keeping Hoosiers' votes secret and secure.
Business regulation: Supports removing licensing requirements she considers unnecessary and wants the office's website to be easier to navigate.
Business filing website: Says the business license portal has broken links and errors. Proposes updating its user interface and checking that the back-end databases work properly.
Voter turnout and access: Proposes expanding voter education, including programs that bring voting machines into high schools, and making polling places more accessible to voters with disabilities.
Mail-in voting: Says she would keep mail-in voting.
Debate access for all candidates: Her campaign, along with the Ballard and Bayh campaigns, asked FOX59/CBS4 to include all candidates in its Oct. 22 debate. She was not included.
Straight-ticket voting: Says she has never voted a straight ticket. She tells voters the most important thing to know before voting is that they do not have to vote straight ticket.
Office independence: Says the office should serve the public rather than political parties, and that voters need a secretary of state focused on the job rather than on running for another office.

Background

Libertarian nominee for Indiana Secretary of State, 2026
Libertarian candidate for U.S. House, Indiana 5th District, 2024 (lost)
Chair, Libertarian Party of Hamilton County, since about 2020–2021
5th District representative, Libertarian Party of Indiana state central committee, since 2023
Creative director, University of Indianapolis marketing office
Owner, Pirate Smile Media
B.A., community and nonprofit leadership, University of Indianapolis
Associate degree, visual communications, Ivy Tech
Grew up in Wingate, Indiana

In the news

Live updates: Bayh and Engling duel in final secretary of state debate Indianapolis Star (via Yahoo), October 22, 2026
Shillings brings homegrown biz experience to electoral bid Indiana Capital Chronicle, October 21, 2026
The race for Indiana Secretary of State heats up The Reflector (UIndy), October 13, 2026
Indiana Secretary of State candidates debate election security, office integrity and voter turnout WFYI, October 7, 2026

Also running for Secretary of State

Beau Bayh Democratic
Greg Ballard Lincoln
Max Engling Republican

Sources

Last researched October 23, 2026. Written in neutral language from the sources above. Spot an error? See how to report it.