jessica.kerman@heraldbulletin.com

The Indiana Election Board sent the Madison County Election Board 16 more formal complaints filed in reference to the May primary election.

In May, the state received eight Election Fraud and Accessibility Grievance Forms for Madison County. The latest bunch were submitted to the state between the end of July and late August.

“I have been in contact with the state election board, and I have encouraged them to come down and do their investigation,” Madison County Clerk Ludy Watkins said. “Get to the bottom of this so that we can go ahead with our election.”

In an earlier interview, Watkins said she was worried the state would not complete its investigation early enough for the county to prepare the voting machines for the November election.

According to a letter from ES&S to Watkins, she would have to send the voting machines to the company by Sept. 17 for them to be ready on time for the election.

In May, the eight complaints focused on two issues. Five of the complainants wrote they were unable to review their votes for the Anderson City Council at-large race. The three others wrote they were unable to vote for fewer than three candidates in the Anderson City Council at-large race.

However, Mary Retherford, of the Madison County Election Board, said she received no complaints on the day of the election.

Of the new complaints, four people claimed they could not vote for fewer than three candidates; one person said he could not review his vote; two people said they could review their votes for Anderson City Council at-large candidates; seven people said their absentee ballots were rejected; one person said she could not find Ty Bibbs on the ballot; and one person said she had to change machines and wasn’t sure her vote counted.

Rebecca Crumes, who is running for city council as a write-in candidate, notarized three of the older complaints and all of the latest 16.

According to Michelle Gough, deputy communications director for Secretary of State Todd Rokita, that office, which oversees the Indiana Election Division, said one of the co-directors of the IED had advised Watkins to preserve machines for the precincts in question. In total, that would be 36 machines, allowing the county to proceed with preparations for the next elections.

“That will allow the county to have enough machines,” Gough said.

The state does not have a deadline for a decision about the complaints, according to Gough.

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