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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Ind. Gov't. - "Recount panel sets deadline for White decision"

Here is a very long list of earlier ILB "Charlie White" entries.

Yesterday the State Recount Commission met. Carrie Richie of the IndyStar and Dan Carden of the NWI Times both have stories. From the Star:

The commission met this morning to set a schedule for resolving Democrats' challenge to White's candidacy. The Democrats allege that White was registered to vote at the wrong address when he declared his candidacy, so he wasn't eligible to run.

The commission initially dismissed the complaint last December, but Marion Circuit Court Judge Louis Rosenberg ruled April 7 that the complaint is valid. In an order issued Monday, he told the commission to resolve the complaint by July 6.

A hearing on the facts of the case has been scheduled for June 21, and the commission will issue its findings by June 30.

At its meeting this morning, the commission also told White's office to turn over to the attorney general's office a report former Secretary of State Todd Rokita compiled about White's voter registration. The Democrats have wanted to see the report for months, and could finally get their hands on it after the commission reviews it and determines whether it's relevant to their complaint.

From the Times:
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Recount Commission reversed its prior dismissal of an eligibility challenge to Secretary of State Charlie White on Wednesday and ordered a formal election contest.

The three-member panel, which will hear testimony in the case on June 21, is slated to rule on the challenge to White's eligibility on June 30. * * *

The commission's decision to reverse its December 2010 dismissal of the Democrats' contest petition was not unexpected after a Marion County judge last month ordered the commission to hear the case.

Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said the panel wants to consider the eligibility challenge "as expeditiously as possible."

"We're not interested in making a partisan decision," Wheeler said. "We're interested in making the correct decision based upon the facts and upon the law."

If the two Republicans and one Democrat on the commission rule White was ineligible to run, the candidate with the second-highest number of votes -- Democrat Vop Osili -- would become secretary of state.

In future elections, following a change made by the General Assembly in April, the governor would appoint a replacement if an officeholder was found ineligible.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 5, 2011 09:40 AM
Posted to Indiana Government