La Porte County Election Board says no jurisdiction to hear endorsement-letter complaint, outlines process and timelines for campaign-finance reports

The La Porte County Election Board on April 20 declined to hold a hearing on a complaint concerning an endorsement letter, concluding there was no apparent violation of the election code and therefore no jurisdiction to act.

"If there is not an election code violation, the election board can't have a hearing," Chair Katie Bowen said, citing guidance from the election division. The board formally moved and voted to deny the complaint.

The meeting also addressed campaign-finance report processing for the preprimary period. Bowen said preprimary reports were due April 17, 2026, by noon and that the board had received the majority on time; two committees filed after the deadline and one committee had not filed. "We will get those notices out this week and the hearings on those 3 committees will be at a date listed in the notice," Bowen said.

Bowen described the clerks' internal process for handling reports — scanning, verifying attachments, and redacting information when required by statute — and urged the public to avoid harassing clerk staff while that work is completed. "It is alarming how many adults in La Porte County chose to call the clerk's office to harass members of the clerk staff about when they will get reports," she said, explaining extra calls slow processing.

Taylor, a clerk's office staff member, said reports were scanned through 3:58 p.m. on the prior Friday and that materials would be uploaded that afternoon or by 4 p.m.; the board said the minutes and agendas are available through the clerk's office and that agendas are posted on the county website under elections.

The board said it will send notices to committees with defects, give them five business days to amend filings and schedule hearings quickly so matters can be resolved before the May 5 election.