Ellspermann Formally Challenged

Hoosier Advocate can exclusively report that Democrats have filed formal charges with the Secretary of State alleging Dr. Sue Ellspermann, a Republican running for state representative in District 74, improperly filed her candidacy in the Republican primary. If the challenges to her candidacy are successful and Ellspermann is kept off the ballot, House Majority Leader Russ Stillwell (D-Boonville) will coast to an easy victory.

State Form 46439 must be completed and filed by anyone wanting to run for state representative in a Democratic or Republican primary. To run in either party you must claim party affiliation in one of three ways:

1. Vote in the most recent primary election held by the party with which you claim affiliation above (i.e. ask for Democratic or Republican ballot).
2. If you have never voted in a primary election, simply claim affiliation with one of the parties.
3. The county chairman of the county in which you reside, and of the political party with which you claim affiliation, can certify that you are a member of the political party.

Ellspermann is undoubtedly a Republican who supports Republican positions and has the solid backing of her county chairman. But Ellspermann forgot that she had participated in Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos,” which encouraged Hoosiers to vote in the Democratic primary. Thus, when she checked the first option on Form 46439 – that she had voted in the last Republican primary – she was technically incorrect, and her statement of candidacy was therefore invalid.

Democrats formally filed a challenge on these grounds with the Secretary of State’s Election Division on Friday, which is now in the process of deciding Ellspermann’s fate. The deadline for withdrawing one’s candidacy was February 22nd, so Ellspermann cannot now withdraw and re-enter having checked the correct box.

Should this technicality remove Ellspermann’s place on the ballot, she won’t be the only loser. Voters in district 74 will miss out on a truly democratic election. The sad irony of the un-democratic Democratic party isn’t lost on party bosses. Whether its hand-picking Senate candidates in smoke filled rooms, or toying with Republican candidates on technicalities, 2010 seems to be year that Indiana Democrats forgot what it means to be democratic.

4 Responses to “Ellspermann Formally Challenged”

1. Hoosier Advocate on Ellspermann candidacy Says:
   March 1st, 2010 at 8:06 am

   [...] most recent entry has to do with a Republican primary eligibility challenge to Sue Ellspermann’s efforts to run for the state House of Representatives against Russ [...]

2. Nancy’s Grammer Lesson | Hoosier Advocate Says:
   March 1st, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   [...] Political jargon can be confusing enough for the average consumer without such grammatical reinventions. Perhaps the DNC should send out monthly decoder rings so the rest of us could keep up with the new definitions. Next up? “Democratic“! [...]

3. Democratic Dirty Tricks | Hoosier Advocate Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 12:01 am

   [...] we were the first to report the un-democratic Democratic Party’s attempts remove Sue Ellspermann from the ballot in Indiana’s 74th House District on a petty technicality. As the Courier [...]

4. Ellspermann Candidacy Cleared | Hoosier Advocate Says:
   March 6th, 2010 at 11:53 am

   [...] Ellspermann Formally Challenged: March 1, 2010 [...]