Starke Election Board to Review Challenges Against Railroad Township Trustee Candidate

Posted on February 8, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

The Railroad Township Trustee’s race is already generating some controversy. Tomorrow, the Starke County Election Board will consider two challenges against John Harris. He’s running against incumbent Mandy Thomason for the Republican Party nomination in the May primary.

One of the challenges accuses Harris’s campaign of running an improper campaign ad. County Clerk Vicki Cooley explains that according to the complaint, the ad states that it’s a paid political advertisement but doesn’t specify who paid for it, as required by law.

She says the other challenge has to do with Harris’s party affiliation. Normally, that’s determined by the most recent primary election in which a person voted. But if someone’s never voted in a primary, which appears to be the case here, that person would need permission from the party chair. Cooley says that wasn’t obtained.

She says the election board will ask a series of questions, to determine whether Harris is a legal candidate. Tomorrow morning’s Starke County Election Board meeting starts at 9:30 in the Starke County Courthouse.