St. Joseph County Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a judge in their ballot access lawsuit. The judge may hold a hearing Wednesday and she wants to rule by Friday.
The sides have agreed on Superior Court Judge Jenny Pitts-Manier, who’s held the bench for 28 years. On Friday she ordered the Republican-majority county election board and Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes not to destroy any ballots listing four contested Democratic candidates.
Pitts-Manier has set an 11 a.m. hearing Wednesday over Zoom to ask the sides questions but she has said in an order that she might not need to hold the hearing if she no longer has questions by then. In court records Pitts-Manier says she wants to rule by Friday because Indiana law says counties must start mailing absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election on Saturday.
The election board and Rolfes says the candidates filed their candidate forms too late. The candidates say Rolfes’ staff file-stamped their paperwork and said it was all in order. Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen has filed suit to block the Republicans from keeping them off the ballot.
The Democratic candidates are Autumn Kaylor for auditor, Dan Caruso and Marcy Kauffman for New Carlisle town council, and Cristy Donlon for Walkerton town council.
