For Immediate Release: Oct. 10, 2022
Contact: Luke Thomas, Press Secretary, [email protected]
PLYMOUTH, Ind. (Oct. 10, 2022) — The Indiana Republican Party, the St. Joseph County Republican Party, and Thomas Dixon, in his capacity as the Republican member of the St. Joseph County Election Board, today jointly filed a lawsuit against Rita Glenn and Charles Leone, Democrat members of the St. Joseph County Election Board. The lawsuit seeks to stop the enforcement of a resolution that would strip the Republican-appointed member of the St. Joseph County Election Board of their statutory right to review signatures on absentee ballots, to lock access of absentee ballots, and to secure the lock key for their respective party.
This comes after local news outlets in St. Joseph County published stories alleging that Rita Glenn, clerk of the St. Joseph County Circuit Court and secretary of the St. Joseph County Election Board, may have unlawfully accessed absentee ballots during the 2022 primary, a matter this is currently under investigation by the Indiana State Police.
"Last week, the Democrat members of the St. Joseph County Election Board failed the citizens of their county by making the egregious decision to eliminate all bipartisan safeguards surrounding absentee ballots," stated Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. "This is an affront to free, fair, and transparent elections, and should immediately be reversed by the courts."
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Background
On October 7, 2022, the St. Joseph County Election Board passed a resolution that delegated the statutory duties and responsibilities of the St. Joseph County Election Board members to Rita Glenn in her capacity as clerk of the St. Joseph County Circuit Court.
The resolution passed 2-1, with Thomas Dixon, the Republican member of the board, voting against its passage.
On Oct. 10, 2022, the Indiana Republican Party, the St. Joseph County Republican Party, and Thomas Dixon, in his capacity as the Republican member of the St. Joseph County Election Board, jointly filed a lawsuit against Rita Glenn and Charles Leone, Democrat members of the St. Joseph County Election Board, to stop the enforcement of the resolution.
Click here for a copy of the lawsuit.