After hearing attorneys argue for both sides, the Republican-majority St. Joseph County Election Board voted Thursday to keep four Democratic candidates off the Nov. 3 election ballot. The Democrats are vowing to take it to court.
The board voted along party lines to keep off the ballot county auditor candidate Autumn Kaylor, New Carlisle Town Council candidates Dan Caruso and Marcy Kauffman, and Walkerton Town Council candidate Christy Donlon.
They had not filed their candidate forms by the statutory deadline. But county Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen did file notice with the clerk’s office Friday that he had selected them as the party’s candidates, a process allowed by state law.
Westerhausen says he’ll seek a court injunction if Rolfes won’t add them back to the ballot Friday, the statutory deadline for certifying ballots.
Kauffman, the New Carlisle council candidate, told the board that she thought she had filed all of her forms correctly because Rolfes’ staff told her as much.
Westerhausen says that should bother all voters.
“It was either incredible incompetence or deception," Westerhausen says. "I think you have to think some of this was deception because they never told us about this until they filed their challenge.”
