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Despite losing a central Indiana seat by just 64 votes — and potentially hundreds of ballots left uncounted due to “irregularities” — the Indiana Democratic Party announced it wouldn’t push for a recount or contest the results in House District 25.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Becky Cash, of Zionsville, barely kept her seat earlier this month, losing Boone County by 419 votes but winning Hendricks County by 483 votes over Democrat challenger Tiffany Stoner.
Since that time, an election board meeting in Hendricks County on Nov. 15 apparently released information about irregularities in the voting process, according to Democrats. The Indiana Capital Chronicle couldn’t confirm the claims from an independent news source, though a left-leaning blog posted similar allegations on Nov. 18.
A call to Hendricks County Circuit Court Clerk Marjorie Pike to discuss the claims went to voicemail on Friday. Hendricks County was previously at the center of another recount, when a commission took three months to certify victories in two races without thin margins of victory.
“Our intent since polls closed on Election Day was to investigate systemic and widespread issues with the administration of early, vote-by-mail, and Election Day voting in Hendricks County. They were not alone in having challenges with getting people to staff the polls, but they stand very much alone in some of the egregious errors committed,” said Mike Schmuhl, the Democrat’s party chair.
“Our candidate, Tiffany Stoner, ran a fantastic campaign that was centered on the good people in Boone and Hendricks counties. While we will not seek a recount in this election, we do believe the public deserves more transparency so we ensure that every vote is counted accurately and every Hoosier’s voice is heard in every election,” Schmuhl continued.
Alleged irregularities
Errors in Hendricks County reported by the Democrats included the decision to reject roughly 280 absentee mail-in ballots, some of which were apparently sent to voters without the required security initial from the clerk’s office.
“After the error was discovered, the clerk knowingly chose not to inform voters that their ballots would be rejected due to the office’s mistake,” the Democrat’s press release said. “… the affected voters remain unaware of this issue.”
Other ballots were rejected due to mismatched signatures — a method of verification that has repeatedly been questioned by voting rights activists who say signatures vary too much. Some note that younger generations who weren’t taught cursive may be especially vulnerable to disenfranchisement because of mismatched signatures.
Voters who fall in these category are supposed to receive a notice offering them a chance to correct their ballot. The release claims those notices were mailed on Nov. 7 but voters were only given until noon on Nov. 13 to submit a signed affidavit verifying their signature. However, the release goes on to claim that an overseas Indiana voter in the military couldn’t fix their signature and thus didn’t have their vote count.
Additionally, some voting machines were allegedly left unattended at a polling location overnight and the state agencies were accused of making mistakes in transferring voter registrations to the county. Lastly, statutorily required inspectors weren’t present at “any” early voting site, according to the party.
“Let us be very clear: these errors in the administration of the election disenfranchised voters. The Republican Party in Indiana is constantly talking about election integrity, but stands by while dozens of voters in the suburbs of Indianapolis aren’t able to vote. In addition, Hendricks County voters consistently faced 3-plus hour wait times,” said Schmuhl.
He concluded by calling for the General Assembly to enshrine protections for early voting in the next session, which is due to start in January.
“Many of these errors could be addressed by having the Hendricks County Clerk simply follow already prescribed procedures.” Schmuhl said. “… The early vote in Indiana is not protected by the same procedures as Election Day voting, and in House District 25, where almost 66% of the total in person votes were cast early, we believe those votes are entitled to the same protections as Election Day votes. We call on our state and legislative leaders to address these issues promptly.”
The deadline for candidates to file a recount request was Nov. 19 at noon while county parties may file a challenge until Nov. 22 at noon.
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