INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Voters would be able to cast absentee ballots by mail without giving an excuse under an amendment to an election bill lawmakers considered Wednesday.

The House Elections Committee added the provision to a bill that would allow all counties to use centralized vote centers instead of traditional neighborhood polling places. Supporters said it made sense for the proposals to be in the same bill since they both make it easier to vote.

"We're giving people more options," said Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, the committee chairman and author of the amendment.

However, the change to the bill may make it more difficult to get past the General Assembly. Although the vote center concept won support in the Republican-controlled Senate, GOP leaders in the chamber have opposed no-excuse absentee balloting by mail in the past.

Bill sponsor Sen. Sue Landske, R-Cedar Lake, said she does not support that provision because of worries about voter fraud and other problems. She said she had not yet talked to fellow Senate Republicans about the amendment because she did not realize it would be included in her bill.

"It's something that we have not supported in prior years," she said.

A growing number of states permit voters to cast absentee ballots by mail without giving a reason, Pierce said.

In Indiana, anyone voting absentee-by-mail must meet certain provisions, such as being out of the county on Election Day or working through voting hours. But voters do not have to give an excuse if they cast an absentee ballot in person before Election Day.

"It's not a real radical departure," Pierce said of his proposal.

The committee approved the amendment on an 8-3 vote Wednesday but did not vote on the entire bill. Pierce said the committee could consider some technical changes to the legislation before meeting later to take a vote.

The bill would allow any Indiana county to create vote centers, scattered polling sites where voters can go regardless of their precinct.

Two Indiana counties — Tippecanoe and Wayne — used vote centers for their most recent elections as part of a state pilot program exploring the issue. County officials told lawmakers that it saved money and required fewer poll workers while getting good reviews from the public.

Voters could cast a ballot at a church near their house, at a downtown building on their lunch break or at a supermarket before grocery shopping.

"That's when people have free time," said Linda Phillips, the Tippecanoe County clerk. "That's what fits into their schedules."