Don Westerhausen

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 on Wednesday filed a complaint with the county election board alleging that Republican Penn Township political candidates and firefighters broke the law when they intermingled their booth at the recent Osceola Music Festival.

St. Joseph Superior Judge Jenny Pitts-Manier on Thursday ruled that Republican Election Board Chair John Jurgonski and Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes acted outside the law when they told a Rolfes staffer to keep four Democratic candidates off the Nov. 3 election ballot.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen has gone to court to stop the Republican-run election board and clerk's office from keeping four Democratic candidates off the ballot over a candidate paperwork dispute.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party chair Don Westerhausen says Republicans are ignoring his lawsuit to get four Democratic candidates back on the Nov. 3 ballot, so on Thursday he filed an emergency motion asking Judge Jenny Pitts-Manier to hear the case.

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.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party chair Don Westerhausen said Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes' staff told the five Democratic candidates that their paperwork was correct. He vowed to get them returned to the ballot for the Nov. 3 elections.

Democrats who live in South Bend Common Council District 4, covering the city's east side, and want to replace the resigning Troy Warner should notify St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen. He has 30 days to schedule a party caucus to vote on Warner's replacement.