County GOP considers ballot challenge

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Vigo County GOP Chairman, Randall Gentry, made a recommendation early Saturday morning to the Vigo County Election Board that 14 local Republicans be appointed to positions on the Absentee Voter Office Boards, and requested they be trained immediately as required by Indiana Law. The Democrat controlled Vigo County Election Board has not responded to Gentry’s letter.  In the meantime Gentry requested numerous documents including when the Vigo County Democrat Chairman was provided his notice from the Election Board as required by Indiana Law and when he as Democrat Chairman made his written recommendation for the Absentee Voter Office Boards.

Gentry said, “The more I find out the more I am troubled. Everything in this election cycle is being run bipartisan except this, and I wonder why. I hate to think we will have to challenge these ballots, but I am rethinking my original position. This may be more serious than I originally thought. We are moving towards Election Day and I am not getting a great deal of cooperation from the democrat controlled Election Board. Their response so far has been extremely slow and extremely inadequate considering the nature of this problem. The integrity of this election rests in the balance. It looks like our Vigo County Chief Election Officer, Pat Mansard, selected one single part of the election process and used democrat employees of the Clerk’s office to process absentee applications and ballots.  I find it hard to believe that a seasoned election veteran like Pat Mansard did not know this was happening or that she was not aware that this was illegal. Pat Mansard keeps saying she and her employees take an oath of office. I guess that oath does not include following the law when it comes to absentee ballots.”

The Election Board failed to notify Gentry by law 10 days prior to the absentee ballot process commencing, a requirement of Indiana Law( IC 3-11-10-37). Gentry contends now that it is likely that neither the Democrat Chair or Republican Chair were lawfully notified, resulting in the processing of over 1600 absentee ballot applications with no duly appointed members of the Absentee Ballot Voter Office Boards. “In my opinion, the Chief Election Officer has violated the voters trust by unilaterally setting up an operation that does not follow Indiana Law by any stretch of the imagination, and I find it quite insulting that the Democrats decided to blame me for this issue. I was the one that brought it to their attention and now all they can do is blame me?  I don’t think this process even has duly appointed democrats. I wasn’t expecting a gold embossed thank you card, but I did not expect this response. ”   

While Gentry’s recommendations for the Absentee Voter Office Boards have not been appointed by the Vigo County Election Board, nine Republicans reported to the Vigo County Courthouse today to monitor the ballot bundling process. “The Clerk’s office sent home some of our Republicans, because they did not have enough employees of the Clerk’s office to make bipartisan teams of two.  I am upset the Election Board did not act to make these Republicans appointed members of the Absentee Voter Office Board, I am concerned there was no formal training, but I am thankful that at least we had five observers in the room today. “