Starke County Election Board Finds Harris Ineligible for Railroad Township Board Race

Posted on February 10, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

A Railroad Township Trustee candidate is now out of the race, but another name has been added. John Harris is officially off the ballot following a pair of challenges against his campaign, according to Starke County Clerk Vicki Cooley. She says the Starke County Election Board reviewed the challenges Friday and determined that Harris was not an eligible candidate for the May primary.

Harris had filed to run as a Republican. Cooley says the problem was that he had no actual party affiliation. Normally, that would be determined by the most recent primary in which a person voted. But since Harris doesn’t have a voting record, he would have needed written permission from the Starke County Republican Party chair. That apparently was not obtained.

The other challenge accused Harris’s campaign of running advertisements that failed to identify who paid for them. But Cooley says that because it was determined that Harris was not an elegible candidate based on party affiliation, the election board decided to waive any penalties stemming from the ad.

Cooley says Harris then signed paperwork officially withdrawing from the race. However, there was also a last-minute addition to the ballot Friday, as Debra Wappel filed to run as a Republican, essentially taking Harris’s place. She’ll face incumbent Mandy Thomason in the May primary, with the winner expected to square off against former trustee Democrat Roger Chaffins, in November.

Meanwhile, by the time of Friday’s filing deadline, a total of seven candidates had filed to run for the three Railroad Township Board seats.

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.