Indiana Democrats on Thursday appealed a decision allowing embattled Republican Secretary of State Charlie White to stay in office while he fights voter fraud charges. The Indiana Democratic Party appealed the Indiana Recount Commission vote allowing White to stay in office. State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker said he wants a Marion County judge to review the decision.
The two Republicans and one Democrat on the Recount Commission voted unanimously last month to let White to keep his job. But comments from the commission’s chairman that White’s actions brushed up against the line of being illegal merited a court review, Parker said.
“In sports, a call that close merits additional scrutiny, and officials would send it up to the booth for replay. That’s what we’re asking the Marion Circuit Court to do in this case,” Parker said in a statement. The Democratic Party’s appeal of the decision was “predictable,” said White spokesman A.J. Feeney-Ruiz.
“The Recount Commission’s decision was unanimous. We would have thought that would have sent a strong enough message that this would have been resolved,” Feeney-Ruiz said.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted White on voter fraud and other charges in March. White has maintained his innocence and a trial is scheduled September.
Full Article: Indiana Democrats appeal Recount Commission ruling clearing embattled secretary of state | The Republic.