INDIANAPOLIS (INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) – Despite losing a key Indiana seat by just 64 votes – and potentially leaving hundreds of ballots uncounted due to “irregularities” – the Indiana Democratic Party announced it would not push for a recount or contest the House District 25 results.

Republican incumbent Rep. Becky Cash, of Zionsville, narrowly retained her seat earlier this month, losing Boone County by 419 votes but winning Hendricks County by 483 votes over Democratic challenger Tiffany Stoner.

Since then, a Hendricks County Board of Elections meeting on Nov. 15 apparently released information about irregularities in the voting process, according to Democrats. The Indiana Capital Chronicle could not confirm the claims from an independent news source, but a left-leaning blog published similar allegations on 18 Nov.

A call to Hendricks County Circuit Court Clerk Marjorie Pike to discuss the claims went to voicemail on Friday. Hendricks County was formerly the center of one more storywhen a commission took three months to certify victories in two races without slim margins of victory.

“Our intent since Election Day closed was to investigate systemic and widespread problems with the administration of early voting, vote-by-mail and Election Day voting in Hendricks County. They were not alone in having challenges in getting people to staff the polls, but they stand very alone in some of the serious mistakes that were made, says Mike Schmuhl, the Democratic party chairman.

“Our candidate, Tiffany Stoner, ran a great campaign centered on the good people of Boone and Hendricks counties. While we will not seek a recount in this election, we believe the public deserves more transparency so we will ensure that every vote is counted accurately and every Hoosier’s voice is heard in every election,” Schmuhl continued.

Alleged irregularities

Errors in Hendricks County reported by Democrats included the decision to reject roughly 280 absentee mail-in ballots, some of which were apparently sent to voters without the required security initial from the clerk’s office.

“After the error was discovered, the clerk deliberately chose not to inform voters that their ballots would be rejected due to the office’s error,” the Democrat’s press release said. “… the affected voters remain unaware of this issue.”

Other ballots were rejected because the signatures didn’t match — a method of verification that has been repeatedly questioned by voting rights activists who say the signatures vary too much. Some note that younger generations who did not learn cursive may be particularly vulnerable to gaining the right to vote due to incorrect signatures.

Voters who fall into this category will receive a message giving them the opportunity to correct their ballot. The release claims those messages were sent on Nov. 7, but voters only got until 6 p.m. 1:00 p.m. on November 13 to submit a signed affidavit verifying their signature. However, the release goes on to claim that an overseas voter from Indiana in the military was unable to affix his signature and therefore was not counted.

In addition, some voting machines were left unattended at a polling place overnight, and state officials were accused of making mistakes when transferring voter registrations to the county. Finally, statutory inspectors were not present at “any” early voting location, according to the party.

“Let’s be very clear: these errors in the administration of the election disenfranchised voters. The Republican Party of Indiana constantly talks about election integrity, but stands by while dozens of voters in suburban Indianapolis are unable to vote. Additionally, Hendricks County voters consistently faced 3 -hour waiting times, says Schmuhl.

He concluded by urging the General Assembly to introduce early voting protections in the next session, which is set to begin in January.

“Many of these errors could be remedied by having the Hendricks County Clerk simply follow already prescribed procedures.” Schmuhl said. “…Early voting in Indiana is not protected by the same procedures as Election Day voting, and in House District 25, where nearly 66% of total in-person votes were cast early, we believe these votes are entitled to the same protections as Election Day votes. We urge our state and legislative leaders to address these issues promptly.”

The deadline for candidates to submit a recount request was November 19 at

This article was originally published of Indiana Capital Chronicle November 22, 2024