Marion County Election Board recesses hearing after voter with campaign apparel was found to be armed at First Friends vote center

The Marion County Election Board recessed a hearing Jan. 21 after reviewing an Election Day incident in which a voter at the First Friends Quaker Church vote center on Nov. 5, 2024, entered wearing campaign apparel and was found to be carrying two handguns and a knife, election officials said.

Board members heard an overview from Patrick Becker, Marion County director of elections, and a first-hand account from long-time inspector Margo Kelly, who said poll workers asked the voter to remove a hat and turn his T-shirt inside out because the clothing displayed a candidate’s image and slogan. Kelly said when the voter removed his shirt he revealed two handguns and a knife. Election workers escorted the man to a voting machine, waited while he voted and then ushered him from the building; the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded and spoke with the voter but did not arrest him, officials said.

The incident, which took place at a site that also houses a preschool, prompted heightened concern about the safety of poll workers and voters. "He was very belligerent," Kelly told the board, and she described multiple people calling police. Kelly said she used the de-escalation script provided to poll workers and immediately called the inspector hotline and police. Director Becker said the board provided notice of the Jan. 21 hearing to the voter in person on Dec. 13, 2024, and that investigators had turned video and witness statements over to the voter’s attorney.

Why it matters

Board members said the episode raised questions about poll-worker safety, the suitability of the facility as a vote center and whether the voter violated state election rules prohibiting campaign materials inside polling locations. The church’s leadership told board staff it was reconsidering allowing the facility to be used as a voting site, and the board must still determine whether the facts establish a violation under state election law (Title 3).

What the board heard

Becker told the board the voter entered the First Friends vote center wearing a hat and T-shirt bearing a candidate’s photograph and slogan, which is contrary to Indiana law prohibiting apparel that contains the name or likeness of a candidate within polling places. Becker said election workers asked the person to remove or cover the items; when he refused, workers escorted him to a voting machine to allow him to vote and then directed him out of the building. "When asked by an election worker to remove his hat and turn his T shirt inside out, the voter became confrontational and belligerent," Becker said.

Inspector Margo Kelly, who has worked the site for several years, told the board that poll workers saw one firearm visible when the man entered, and after he removed his shirt they saw another handgun and a knife. Kelly said staff used the established script to call police and to give officials the location and nature of the incident. "I called the police," Kelly said, adding that multiple people at the site also placed calls. Kelly estimated there were about 50 to 60 people in the vote center at the time, and said some voters left the site during the incident and others moved into an adjacent kitchen for safety. She also told the board that children were present with some voters that day.

Poll worker reactions and training

Board members and staff repeatedly praised poll workers for following training and the de-escalation script. Kelly and others told the board the mandatory inspector training and the scripted guidance for contacting police helped manage the situation. Kelly said she had contacted each poll worker afterward and had documented their statements.

Legal process and next steps

Daniel Pulliam, outside counsel for the board, told the panel he had received contact from an attorney retained by the voter on the Friday before the hearing and that the attorney asked for a continuance. Pulliam said the board provided the voter’s attorney with video and witness statements, including an additional voter statement received the weekend before the hearing. The attorney, identified in board discussion as Edward Kraus, asked for 30 days to prepare; Pulliam said he received a communication the morning of the hearing that the voter and counsel would not attend.

Given the request and in deference to an opportunity to be heard, the board agreed to recess the hearing to a date to be determined, and staff said they would attempt to coordinate a supplemental hearing within the 30-day window. The board said it still must reconvene later to decide whether the voter violated applicable statutes and whether any administrative action is warranted. "Under the statute we provided him notice and opportunity," Pulliam said, and the board retains discretion about allowing additional continuances.

Evidence and outstanding items

Board staff said they had provided the video recording of the incident and witness statements to the voter’s attorney. The board did not take a final determination at the Jan. 21 session. Officials said the First Friends pastor has indicated the church may reconsider hosting the vote center after the incident, and board staff noted that the site is not one of the county locations the board can compel to host voting every year (it is a voluntary site).

Votes at a glance

The board recessed the hearing and did not take further formal action; no formal vote on a determination of a statutory violation occurred on Jan. 21. The board agreed to attempt to schedule a supplemental hearing and to notify the voter and his counsel.

Ending

The board said it would notify parties after coordinating schedules with the voter’s attorney, and reconvene at a publicly noticed meeting to decide whether the facts establish a violation of Title 3 of the Indiana Code or other administrative rules.