ballots

The Indiana Constitution only lets judges deny pretrial release on bail for murder or treason but a ballot question this election asks if judges should have discretion to deny bail for other crimes.

A complaint is pending in St. Joseph Superior Court but county Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen also has asked the Indiana Public Access Counselor whether Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes and Republican county election board chair John Jurgonski violated the state's Open Door Law when they told a deputy clerk to keep four Democrats off the ballot behind closed doors.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen filed suit Tuesday to force the county election board and clerk to place Democrats Autumn Kaylor, Dan Caruso, Marcy Kauffman and Christy Donlon on the Nov. 3 election ballot.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen says if Republican County Clerk Amy Rolfes won't put four Democrats back on the ballot by Friday's statutory ballot certification deadline, he'll seek a court injunction.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen says he met the requirements of election law on Friday when he filed forms with the county election board verifying that he selected four candidates for the Nov. 3 ballot.

Niles Township Supervisor Marge Durm-Hiatt doesn't know how many dispensaries ultimately will open but a court challenge has prompted the board to lift restrictions on highway frontage and the number of dispensaries that will be allowed.

Election officials in Elkhart County were still working to count ballots on Wednesday after facing delays in retrieving results from one voting center and processing thousands of absentee ballots.

The four-bill package would ban guns from coming within 100 feet of polling places, ballot drop boxes, and absentee ballot counting areas.

A paperwork error regarding party affiliation is enough to keep a political candidate off the ballot. That decision was released Thursday by the Michigan Supreme Court.

A Michigan board approved ballot language Friday for a proposed constitutional amendment.