Tag: Election 2022

Recount confirms Dodds for Benton Township board, election finally over in Monroe County

Benton Township board recount certificate.
From left: Judge Erik Allen, and recount commissioners Bob White, WIlliam Ellis, and Fred Turner.
Recount commissioner Fred Turner.
From left: Dave Hall, Cory Ray, Fred Turner, Bob White, William Ellis.
From left: Recount commissioners Bob White and William Ellis.
Recount commissioner William Ellis.

Republican Jake Dodds has been confirmed as winning one of the three seats on the Benton Township board in Monroe County, Indiana.

The result of a manual recount of the ballots, which concluded Thursday morning around 11 a.m., provided a 3-vote margin for Dodds over fourth-place finisher, Democrat Hans Kelson.

Before the provisional ballots were adjudicated on Nov. 18—that’s 10 days after the Nov. 8 Election Day—Dodds was up by 6 votes over Kelson. Dodds had 621 votes compared to 615 for Kelson.

The adjudication of the provisional ballots added 2 more votes to Kelson’s total. That reduced the margin to 4 votes—621 to 617. That’s when Monroe County Democratic Party chair David Henry filed a petition requesting a manual recount.

After the manual recount, Dodds had one fewer vote and Kelson had the same number, leaving a 3-vote gap.

That means the Benton Township board that’s sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2023 will consist of Dodds, and Democrats Sean McInerney and Joseph Husk. The Benton Township trustee’s election was won by Democrat Michelle Bright over Republican Josh Dodds.

Judge Erik Allen out of Greene County oversaw the recount work. On Thursday, after the recount commissioners had completed their work at Monroe County’s Election Central, Allen told them: “I observed the process from beginning to end, and I have full confidence in the job that was completed.”

Allen added, “I think you’ve been very diligent and I appreciate your work and certainly have full confidence in the result.” Continue reading “Recount confirms Dodds for Benton Township board, election finally over in Monroe County” →

Election equipment for Monroe County passes logic, accuracy test

Lori White, with B&L IT services. In the background monitoring the test is Ralf Shaw with the League of Women Voters (Sept. 19, 2022).
The hand belongs to Bob White, with B&L IT Services (Sept. 19, 2022).
Monroe County deputy clerk Tressia Martin (Sept. 19, 2022).

Monroe County’s election equipment, manufactured by Hart InterCivic has passed the logic and accuracy test mandated under state statute.

The test was conducted with help from Bob and Lori White, with B&L IT Services, which is a contractor the county uses for logistics and technical support in connection with elections.

The test took place at 9:30 a.m. on Monday at the old Johnson Hardware building at 7th and Madison streets, aka Election Central.

After a test deck of 22 ballots was fed into each of the three machines, and the machines tallied up the results, every candidate in every race received 4 votes. That meant the devices selected for testing passed with 100 percent accuracy. Continue reading “Election equipment for Monroe County passes logic, accuracy test” →

Monroe County’s new election operations building set to go for in-person early voting on April 5

On Monday afternoon, The B Square got a peek inside Monroe County’s new election operations building.

It’s the former NAPA building at the corner of 3rd and Walnut streets.

The facility is ready to go for the start of in-person early voting, according to Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler.

Early voting is set to start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5.

Hours are mostly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays through Election Day. Details for the early in-person voting schedule can be found on the Monroe County elections website.

Election Day is May 3. Continue reading “Monroe County’s new election operations building set to go for in-person early voting on April 5” →

Monroe County voting machines pass required logic and accuracy test

Every candidate for any office in the Monroe County primary elections got exactly six votes—and that’s the way it was supposed to turn out on Thursday.

Two seated women feed test ballots into a voting machine
From left, Monroe County clerk’s office staff: Tressia Martin and Keeley Hardiman.

The occasion was the logic and accuracy test of voting equipment that’s required under state statute.

It was conducted at the old Johnson Hardware building at 7th and Madison streets, aka Election Central.

The six votes for each candidate meant that the logic and accuracy test for the Hart InterCivic machines had passed with 100 percent accuracy, according to Bob White, with B&L IT Services. That’s the consultant used by Monroe County for technical election support. Continue reading “Monroe County voting machines pass required logic and accuracy test” →

Conversion of building for in-person early voting: Contracts OK’d by Monroe County now total $109K

Photo shot through the front door of the former NAPA building at 3rd and Walnut Streets (March 2, 2022).

On Wednesday afternoon, the now vacant former NAPA building at the corner of 3rd and Walnut Streets showed little sign of its planned conversion for use as the location for in-person early voting for Monroe County.

The first day of early voting is April 5. Primary Election Day is May 3.

But on Wednesday morning, for their third weekly meeting in a row, Monroe County commissioners approved several contracts that are connected to the building conversion.

On Wednesday’s agenda were ADA-compliant automatic doors, new paint, and an awning running the full length of the building. The awning is intended to keep voters out of the weather, if lines stretch outside the building.

The agenda items were introduced to commissioners by Monroe County facility and fleet manager Greg Crohn.

The biggest part of the $71,890 total for items approved on Wednesday was $42,845 for the interior construction contract with Strauser Construction Co. Inc.—based on design plans submitted by architect Michael Chamblee.

The interior remodel will include construction of a 12-foot x 20-foot room for ballots and a second ADA-compliant bathroom. The current bathroom will be brought up to ADA compliance. A break room will also be added.

The total amount in contracts approved so far by county commissioners for the building conversion is $109,480. Continue reading “Conversion of building for in-person early voting: Contracts OK’d by Monroe County now total $109K” →

Election notebook: Candidates inspect ballot proofs

On Friday for most of the day, 190 different ballot types for the May 3 primary elections were on display for review by the candidates at Monroe County’s election central.

That’s the office in the old Johnson Hardware building at 7th and Madison streets.

The B Square counted 28 candidates or their proxies who inspected ballots on Friday. That’s just 16 percent of the 172 total candidate names that will appear on ballots in Monroe County. It’s not a legal requirement that candidates inspect the ballot.

But it is a requirement of state law that ballot proofs be made available for inspection before they’re printed [IC 3-11-2-2.1]

It’s a chance for candidates to help catch misspellings of their own names before the ballots get printed.

The email message to candidates sent by Monroe County election supervisor Karen Wheeler begged them to stop by and check over the ballots: “So I will implore you to come and review. This is the time to catch anything that may be wrong.” Continue reading “Election notebook: Candidates inspect ballot proofs” →

Outgoing Monroe County GOP chair on election of youngest party leader in Hoosier state: “Taylor is…going to drive this past the finish line.”

Taylor Bryant, newly elected Monroe County GOP chair.
William Ellis, now Monroe County GOP vice chair, and Taylor Bryant, newly elected chair.
Taylor Bryant, newly elected Monroe County GOP chair.
Dec. 18, 2021 GOP caucus at Ellettsville town hall.

At Ellettsville’s town hall on Saturday morning, about 60 people gathered to elect Taylor Bryant as the new chair of Monroe County’s Republican Party.

She had declared her candidacy earlier in the week in a Facebook post.

Saturday’s voice vote by the party’s precinct committeemen and committeewomen was not controversial. It’s not a dramatic change in party leadership. Her election just elevated Bryant from party vice chair to chair.

And Bryant’s first appointment, to fill her vacant vice chair spot, was a familiar face—William Ellis, who up to now has served as party chair. Saturday’s news could be fairly described as a simple swap in the roles of Ellis and Bryant.

What has some area Republicans thinking Bryant’s chairship could attract the attention of media statewide, or even on the national level, is the fact that the eighteen-year-old is now the youngest county chair for the Republican Party in the state of Indiana, possibly the country. Continue reading “Outgoing Monroe County GOP chair on election of youngest party leader in Hoosier state: “Taylor is…going to drive this past the finish line.”” →

Monroe County councilor Spoonmore won’t seek re-election to District 4 seat in 2022

In a statement released Friday night, Monroe County council president Eric Spoonmore has announced he will not seek re-election in 2022, representing District 4.

B Square file photo from January 2020: Monroe County councilor and council president Eric Spoonmore.

Spoonmore put it like this: “I will conclude my service on the Monroe County Council when my term expires at the end of 2022.”

Spoonmore currently serves as the president of the seven-member council, which is the county government’s fiscal body.

Spoonmore’s statement talks about the next year and a half that he will still be serving county residents: “I also recognize that the most important public service I have to offer as a member of the Council could well occur over the next 18 months as our County addresses a number of upcoming and exciting opportunities.”

The statement wraps up with an acknowledgement of his family’s support: “Finally, I want to thank my wife, Lindsey, and our family, who have made many sacrifices in allowing me to pursue my interests of public service.”

The statement concludes: “We look forward to discovering new ways to make a difference here in the community we love.” Continue reading “Monroe County councilor Spoonmore won’t seek re-election to District 4 seat in 2022” →