QUOTE
Ballot error affects Pine Township voters
Dave Hawk
The News-Dispatch
BEVERLY SHORES - A ballot error at a Pine Township voting precinct left some early voters Tuesday getting Duneland School Corp. ballots instead of Michigan City Area Schools ballots.
Donald DuLaney, Beverly Shores, a candidate for the MCAS Coolspring/Pine seat, said his supporters, who tried to vote for him at the Beverly Shores Administration center, noticed the error and began calling him shortly after the polls opened at 6 a.m.
"All my friends were calling and telling me I wasn't on the ballot," DuLaney said.
After he inquired, poll workers found the other ballots, but then workers simply asked voters which ballot they wanted instead of checking to see which school district the voter lives in, DuLaney said.
After he called the Porter County clerk's office, the clerk issued new instructions to the poll workers on the correct way to issue ballots, he said.
Later, DuLaney said, the Porter County sheriff visited the precinct, and he believes the matter was cleared by 7 a.m. Voters subsequently were asked whether they vote for the MCAS or Duneland boards.
DuLaney, who holds a law degree from Loyola University, said he checked with his attorney and the Porter County Clerk and learned that to protest the matter, a candidate would need to get affidavits from all voters who received the wrong ballots. All of one Pine precinct is in the MCAS district, while the other precinct is split between MCAS and Duneland, he said.
DuLaney said he was told well more than 100 voters already cast ballots before the error was corrected. Many were commuters who couldn't wait until the proper ballots were available, he said.
He said the clerk's office told him nothing could be done, and the clerk's office is not responsible for human error. He said he was told by poll workers they had no idea who voted with the wrong ballot.
All MCAS candidates were affected by the error because all are elected at-large. One of the voters affected was Vicki Harber, a school teacher in Porter County who lives in the Beverly Shores area. She went to vote before going to school.
"I told them this is wrong, and I had to go to work," Harber said late Tuesday afternoon.
"I was upset when I saw that. I'm a teacher in Porter County and feel for the teachers (in MCAS) because they don't have a contract. I planned on voting for certain school board members and knew the races might be close. I'm concerned about whether I will get to vote for my candidates."
The error also affects the Duneland board race.
Contact Managing Editor Dave Hawk at dhawk@thenewsdispatch.com.
Dave Hawk
The News-Dispatch
BEVERLY SHORES - A ballot error at a Pine Township voting precinct left some early voters Tuesday getting Duneland School Corp. ballots instead of Michigan City Area Schools ballots.
Donald DuLaney, Beverly Shores, a candidate for the MCAS Coolspring/Pine seat, said his supporters, who tried to vote for him at the Beverly Shores Administration center, noticed the error and began calling him shortly after the polls opened at 6 a.m.
"All my friends were calling and telling me I wasn't on the ballot," DuLaney said.
After he inquired, poll workers found the other ballots, but then workers simply asked voters which ballot they wanted instead of checking to see which school district the voter lives in, DuLaney said.
After he called the Porter County clerk's office, the clerk issued new instructions to the poll workers on the correct way to issue ballots, he said.
Later, DuLaney said, the Porter County sheriff visited the precinct, and he believes the matter was cleared by 7 a.m. Voters subsequently were asked whether they vote for the MCAS or Duneland boards.
DuLaney, who holds a law degree from Loyola University, said he checked with his attorney and the Porter County Clerk and learned that to protest the matter, a candidate would need to get affidavits from all voters who received the wrong ballots. All of one Pine precinct is in the MCAS district, while the other precinct is split between MCAS and Duneland, he said.
DuLaney said he was told well more than 100 voters already cast ballots before the error was corrected. Many were commuters who couldn't wait until the proper ballots were available, he said.
He said the clerk's office told him nothing could be done, and the clerk's office is not responsible for human error. He said he was told by poll workers they had no idea who voted with the wrong ballot.
All MCAS candidates were affected by the error because all are elected at-large. One of the voters affected was Vicki Harber, a school teacher in Porter County who lives in the Beverly Shores area. She went to vote before going to school.
"I told them this is wrong, and I had to go to work," Harber said late Tuesday afternoon.
"I was upset when I saw that. I'm a teacher in Porter County and feel for the teachers (in MCAS) because they don't have a contract. I planned on voting for certain school board members and knew the races might be close. I'm concerned about whether I will get to vote for my candidates."
The error also affects the Duneland board race.
Contact Managing Editor Dave Hawk at dhawk@thenewsdispatch.com.