Diego Morales: Elina Kupce was "Legally Authorized to Work...
Diego Morales: Elina Kupce was “Legally Authorized to Work at All Times” in his Office
INDIANAPOLIS–Secretary of State Diego Morales released a statement on Tuesday morning about the status of one of his former staff members.
Elina Kupce resigned from her position as deputy of chief of staff from Morales’ office on April 29, 2026. She had been employed with the Secretary of State since October of 2023. Court documents show that Kupce’s Indiana driver record lists a restriction on it that is used by non-citizens. The so-called “temporary lawful resident” restriction indicates that “the holder of a credential has temporary lawful status in the United States.”
Morales said Tuesday that Kupce was legally authorized to work at all times during her employment with our office. He said the Indiana State Personnel Department (INSPD) completed all of the necessary pre-hire checks including verification of citizenship, verification of work authorization, criminal history check, verification of education, and verification of previous employment. The INSPD is a state agency that’s independent of the Secretary of State’s Office.
“The Secretary of State’s office provided Ms. Kupce’s employment application and credentials to INSPD Human Resources Department on October 2, 2023. On October 12, 2023, INSPD advised the Secretary of State’s office that Ms. Kupce’s pre-employment checks had been completed, were satisfactory, and that our office was authorized to extend an offer of employment to her. Ms. Kupce submitted her resignation on April 29, 2026, citing personal reasons. Any suggestion that Ms. Kupce was not legally authorized to work for the state is uninformed and irresponsible,” said Kupce.
Morales said under U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Law, employers are forbidden to ask a potential employee if they are a U.S. citizen as a condition of hiring or before extending an employment offer.
“Ms. Kupce was a highly regarded member of our staff and provided valuable services to the agency, and to the state,” said Morales.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun has declined to endorse Secretary of State Diego Morales or any other contender in the GOP nomination fight.
Several other top Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, withdrew their support for Morales and endorsed challenger Max Engling. Indiana Treasurer Daniel Elliott called for Morales to resign immediately, citing controversies and failures in the office. Morales remains in the race with the GOP convention set for June 20.
