St. Joseph County board accepts ballot proofs, four Democratic candidates not listed
Summary
After attorneys debated whether four candidates had statutory standing, the St. Joseph County Election Board voted to accept ballot proofs as reviewed (Sept. 2); the four names discussed were not on the proofs and the board recorded a 2–1 vote to accept them as presented. The parties were advised the courts remain the forum for late challenges.
The St. Joseph County Election Board voted to accept the county’s 2026 ballot proofs as reviewed on Sept. 2, a decision that leaves four Democratic candidates off the printed proofs pending any court action.
The motion to accept the ballots was made and seconded by board members; the chair announced the result as two votes in favor and one opposed. The board’s action, as framed by counsel from both parties, was procedural approval of the proofs in the form presented rather than a final adjudication on candidate status. Board counsel and party attorneys told members the appropriate remedy for a disputed late filing is a court challenge rather than a sua sponte board determination.
Democratic counsel Brad Boswell argued those candidates had been filed and "These candidates need to be on the ballot." Republican counsel Eli Wach and others countered that the candidates had not completed required declaration forms, meaning there was no vacancy to fill under the statute. Democratic counsel James Groves told the board, "You have removed those candidates without authority," urging the board to recognize that only a court could resolve the competing legal interpretations.
The board recorded that the four names would not appear on the ballot proofs as presented. Members and attorneys acknowledged the dispute may be litigated; both sides described procedural and statutory pathways for resolving whether the names can be added after internal deadlines. The board scheduled public testing of machines on September 25 and adjourned.
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