Latest news with #HouseElectionsandApportionmentCommittee
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lake County elections public records request cited as reason for oath of ballot bill
A bill for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots, which was amended but held in committee Wednesday, was authored because of a 'difficulty in responding to' a records request by the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration office, state officials said. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the office did not receive a public request for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots in the general election. 'There is no documentation. If they have it, I would love to see it,' Fajman said. 'Lake County does an excellent job, and for something to try to throw us under the bus is offensive.' Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, authored Senate Bill 186, which would require the circuit court clerk to give a copy of each oath counter on provisional ballots to the election division no later than 30 days after the election. Chairman of the House Elections and Apportionment Committee Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, offered an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement for the circuit court clerk to transmit a copy of each oath taken by a ballot counter for the 2024 election. The amendment was adopted unanimously. Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said he supports the bill. The Lake County election office 'experienced, from the perspective of the Republican assistant director at that time, difficulty in responding to public records requests for oaths of the provisional ballot counters.' 'The bill before you comes from the actual experience that the individual had in providing those records upon request,' King said. 'It's not unprecedented. It mirrors a provision in current law.' LeAnn Angerman, the former assistant director, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, said the bill creates 'a backup' and 'protects everybody.' While Olthoff said she wasn't clear on what the end result of the Lake County public records request was, 'if it didn't come in a timely manner, or it didn't come at all and there was an issue getting it,' the bill will address that. 'It adds a layer of accountability, protection for the clerks in case of a question, and it's always a good practice to have a backup,' Olthoff said. Fajman said office staff sign the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots as they are the only ones who review the ballots. Then, the bipartisan board reviews the ballots, she said. On Wednesday, Fajman said office staff began making copies of provisional ballots, which are 13×19 envelopes, to send to the state legislators. The legislators will see, Fajman said, that the same four staff members sign the provisional ballots. 'I would like the legislators to see how time-consuming this is,' Fajman said. In drafting the bill, Dernulc previously said he worked with Secretary of State Diego Morales and King. Dernulc previously testified that he authored the bill after residents came to him to talk about more transparency in the election process. 'They would like to see a little more transparency, that's all,' Dernulc previously said. 'There's nothing that anybody's doing that's adversarial or bad, just a little more transparency into it.' Indiana Election Division Democratic co-general counsel Matthew Kochevar, who said he was speaking on his own behalf, said the bill only addresses oaths for provisional ballot counters and not oath forms poll workers or absentee ballot counters sign. Kochevar said he opposed the bill because people can file a records request to see provisional ballot signatures at their local election office, which is easier than traveling to Indianapolis to see the signatures. Further, the bill adds another paper trail the election division would have to monitor, he said. Kochevar pointed to Fajman's testimony when the bill was in committee in the Senate. In her testimony, Fajman held up a 13×19 envelope and pointed to where a ballot counter signs the oath at the bottom. 'This is a waste of money. I know the individuals who he's talking about that want transparency. They have not come into our office to ask for it. If they did, I would gladly show them,' Fajman previously testified. Wesco said the bill would be held in committee 'for possible consideration at a future meeting.' akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County elections public records request cited as reason for oath of ballot bill
A bill for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots, which was amended but held in committee Wednesday, was authored because of a 'difficulty in responding to' a records request by the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration office, state officials said. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the office did not receive a public request for the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots in the general election. 'There is no documentation. If they have it, I would love to see it,' Fajman said. 'Lake County does an excellent job, and for something to try to throw us under the bus is offensive.' Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, authored Senate Bill 186, which would require the circuit court clerk to give a copy of each oath counter on provisional ballots to the election division no later than 30 days after the election. Chairman of the House Elections and Apportionment Committee Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, offered an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement for the circuit court clerk to transmit a copy of each oath taken by a ballot counter for the 2024 election. The amendment was adopted unanimously. Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, said he supports the bill. The Lake County election office 'experienced, from the perspective of the Republican assistant director at that time, difficulty in responding to public records requests for oaths of the provisional ballot counters.' 'The bill before you comes from the actual experience that the individual had in providing those records upon request,' King said. 'It's not unprecedented. It mirrors a provision in current law.' LeAnn Angerman, the former assistant director, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, said the bill creates 'a backup' and 'protects everybody.' While Olthoff said she wasn't clear on what the end result of the Lake County public records request was, 'if it didn't come in a timely manner, or it didn't come at all and there was an issue getting it,' the bill will address that. 'It adds a layer of accountability, protection for the clerks in case of a question, and it's always a good practice to have a backup,' Olthoff said. Fajman said office staff sign the oath of ballot counter for provisional ballots as they are the only ones who review the ballots. Then, the bipartisan board reviews the ballots, she said. On Wednesday, Fajman said office staff began making copies of provisional ballots, which are 13×19 envelopes, to send to the state legislators. The legislators will see, Fajman said, that the same four staff members sign the provisional ballots. 'I would like the legislators to see how time-consuming this is,' Fajman said. In drafting the bill, Dernulc previously said he worked with Secretary of State Diego Morales and King. Dernulc previously testified that he authored the bill after residents came to him to talk about more transparency in the election process. 'They would like to see a little more transparency, that's all,' Dernulc previously said. 'There's nothing that anybody's doing that's adversarial or bad, just a little more transparency into it.' Indiana Election Division Democratic co-general counsel Matthew Kochevar, who said he was speaking on his own behalf, said the bill only addresses oaths for provisional ballot counters and not oath forms poll workers or absentee ballot counters sign. Kochevar said he opposed the bill because people can file a records request to see provisional ballot signatures at their local election office, which is easier than traveling to Indianapolis to see the signatures. Further, the bill adds another paper trail the election division would have to monitor, he said. Kochevar pointed to Fajman's testimony when the bill was in committee in the Senate. In her testimony, Fajman held up a 13×19 envelope and pointed to where a ballot counter signs the oath at the bottom. 'This is a waste of money. I know the individuals who he's talking about that want transparency. They have not come into our office to ask for it. If they did, I would gladly show them,' Fajman previously testified. Wesco said the bill would be held in committee 'for possible consideration at a future meeting.'
Chicago Tribune
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Partisan school board election bill amended, passed out of Indiana House committee
A Senate bill that would make school board races partisan was amended before passing out of the House Elections and Apportionment Committee Wednesday. Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, offered an amendment to Senate Bill 287 that mirrors a bill he authored, House Bill 1230, which he did not call for third reading by the House before the bill deadline in the first half of the session. Senate Bill 287, authored by Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, and Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Goshen, would change the school board election process to that of other elections, which would include a primary and general election. The school board candidates would have to declare a party. Under Prescott's amendment, which passed 8-4 along party lines, the primary election process was removed from the bill and stated that in the general election, a school board candidate can choose to be listed as a Republican, Democrat, independent or nonpartisan. The amended bill also states that voting a straight-party ticket doesn't apply to school board races because candidates from multiple parties could run for the school board, Prescott said. Under the amended bill, if a major party candidate leaves a vacancy on the board, the seat should be filled through caucus, Prescott said. If an independent or nonpartisan candidate leaves a vacancy on the board, the school board can replace that candidate, he said. Prescott's amendment would maintain the original bill's requirement that school board members be paid up to 10% of the lowest starting salary of a teacher employed in the district, which would shift the current $2,000 payment. Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, asked Prescott why he chose to substitute his bill for Senate Bill 287. Prescott said the Senate passed its bill, so 'we just made a decision just to consolidate to one bill.' Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, who chairs the committee, said he preferred the Senate version of the bill, but he 'reluctantly' voted in support of Prescott's amendment. Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City, offered an amendment to the bill that would allow a school board candidate to submit a profile about their qualifications and experience, but couldn't include references to a political party, to be posted on a school district's website. On the ballot, Boy's amendment would require school board candidates to be listed as nonpartisan on the ballot. The amendment would also prohibit political action committees from making contributions to school board candidates, Boy said, and individuals could only donate $100 in a calendar year. 'This would eliminate the necessity for a primary election. It would also eliminate undue political influence on candidates, and it would make it very obvious to people who was running and what they were standing for,' Boy said. 'It would eliminate a lot of the problems that we've got with the original bill and with the process.' Wesco said because the committee first approved Prescott's amendment, approving Boy's amendment 'would create a very conflicted piece of legislation.' Errington said Boy's amendment addressed many of the concerns raised in testimony last week, including PACs donating to candidates and avoiding conflict with the Hatch Act, which prohibits state and local government employees from running for partisan political office. Boy's amendment failed 9-4. Last week, 42 people signed up to testify on the bill. Those against the bill stated it would polarize school boards and discourage people from running for school boards. Those in favor of the bill stated school board races are already political and requiring school board members to list their political affiliation would be similar to the way county coroners, surveyors and other local candidates list their affiliation. Juanita Albright, president of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Board of Trustees, said she supports the bill because it gives voters, who don't always research candidates, more information about who is on the ballot. 'A school board is inherently political, whether we want to admit it or not,' Albright said. Warsaw Community Schools Board President Heather Reichenbach said board members focus on education and never discuss their party affiliation. The board does a good job, she said, because the board operates as an apolitical body. The amended bill passed Wednesday 8-5, with Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, joining all Democrats on the committee in voting against it. Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, said she voted against the bill because it sends the signal that partisanship is more important than educating students. 'The focus needs to be on kids,' Pryor said. Pressel said he voted against the bill because he's received conflicting information about whether or not the bill would create a conflict with the Hatch Act. 'That concerns me a little bit,' Pressel said. 'I am going to vote no in committee, and I'll reserve the right to change my vote on the floor.' The bill moves to the House for consideration.
