Articles

Democrat Weinzapfel leads AG campaign funding with $609K

Though Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is outpacing his Republican opponents in available money for the 2020 AG nomination race, a would-be Democratic challenger leads the pack with more than $600,000 on hand. Meanwhile, the incumbent AG has yet to secure a key supporter in his bid to become the Republican nominee.

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Retention process to begin for Marion Superior judges

Applications are now available for incumbent Marion Superior trial court judges who wish to stand for retention this year. Members of the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee announced they will gather next month to review procedures for the retention of judges in Marion County trial courts for the 2020 election cycle.

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2019 report finds Hoosiers continuing to avoid ballot box

With the release of the fourth measurement of Indiana’s civic engagement, the authors are providing an outline of strategies for expanding civic education programs and improving voting rates. The recommendations in the 2019 Indiana Civic Health Index come as the Hoosier State continues to rank in the bottom 10 of all states on voting and in the bottom third on voter registration.

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Suit seeks to ban Indiana voting machines lacking paper trail

A lawsuit being filed in Indianapolis on Thursday will ask a federal court to decertify voting machines in the state before the 2020 election that do not provide a voter-verified paper trail. The suit says about 58 of Indiana’s 92 counties continue to use machines at the polls that lack a paper trail and are therefore not sufficiently secure.

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Despite state’s ‘negligence or malice,’ court denies ballot-access injunction

An Indianapolis resident who wanted to add his name to the November mayoral ballot cannot do so now that a federal judge has upheld a finding by the Marion County Election Board that the would-be candidate failed to acquire enough legitimate voter signatures. However, the court also raised concerns about language on a candidate form that could make it “more difficult for voters to support independent candidates,” yet found the language was not enough of a burden to overrule the board’s decision.

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7th Circuit blocks Indiana voter purge law

A federal appeals court has confirmed that Indiana’s attempt to cleanse its voter rolls by using the controversial Crosscheck database violates the National Voter Registration Act. The ruling upholds a lower court ruling in a suit brought by a national public-interest group.

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Plaintiffs challenge Mich. redistricting panel’s independence

The release of emails in the gerrymandering lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters spurred Michigan residents to strip their legislators of redistricting duties and turn the mapmaking over to an independent commission. However, a new federal lawsuit is challenging the new body, asserting the exclusion of certain individuals violates the First and 14th amendments.

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Indianapolis attorney Bennett ends tenure as Election Commission chair

Indianapolis attorney Bryce Bennett, a founding partner with Riley Bennett & Egloff, has resigned as chair of the Indiana Election Commission effective Monday, according to a statement from the firm. Bennett has served two four-year terms under his appointments from Govs. Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence and Eric Holcomb.

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