Indiana’s Election Office is a Hot Mess

It’s been a wild ride for Indiana candidates, who are refiling their candidacy paperwork due to questions over properly notarized documents. Yep, you read that right – notarized documents. Because, apparently, that’s not something you can take for granted in the Hoosier State.

The issue stems from concerns over whether staffers in Republican Secretary of State Diego Morales’ office were correctly certified to accept sworn statements from candidates. It’s a big deal, since these statements are required by law for candidates to be eligible for the ballot.

What Went Wrong

It turns out that Morales’ office had appointed nine staffers as ‘special deputies’ to authenticate candidacy forms, but the documents didn’t include a time stamp showing when they were filed. This raised some eyebrows, especially since the previous certificates on file were from Morales’ predecessor, Holli Sullivan.

Morales’ office claims everything is fine, but candidates aren’t taking any chances. State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., who’s seeking reelection, decided to refile his paperwork just to be safe. ‘I didn’t want anyone to challenge me,’ he said. ‘Better safe than sorry.’ Other lawmakers are doing the same, because who needs the hassle of a disputed election?

Reaction from the Ground

Not everyone is affected, though. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said her office hasn’t received any calls about the confusion, since local candidates file their paperwork separately. But it’s clear that the situation is causing some headaches for candidates and election officials alike.

As one candidate put it, the situation is just ‘annoying.’ We can’t help but agree. It’s not exactly the kind of confidence-inspiring news you want to hear about your state’s election process.