Indiana's State Board of Accounts finished recounting three close state legislative races from the May primary, but that doesn't mean the process is over.
Secretary of State Diego Morales and the Indiana Recount Commission will verify the recounts and hold public meetings to hear petitions filed for each race alleging mistakes or wrongdoings. Morales said the public hearings will happen in the coming weeks.
"The work does not end on Election Day," Morales said in a press release. "Recounts and post-election audits are critical safeguards that provide additional verification and accountability. These post-election procedures strengthen transparency, reinforce trust, and help ensure Indiana's elections remain secure and trustworthy."
The commission is currently handling recounts for Senate District 15, House District 57, and Senate District 23 – one of the most closely watched races in part because it is separated by three votes.
That race is between Republican incumbent Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette), who voted against redistricting, and his challenger Paula Copenhaver.
Copenhaver earned President Trump's endorsement, along with that of six other candidates vying to unseat incumbents who voted against redistricting late last year.
Copenhaver and her lawyers now argue eleven of those voters illegally "crossed over" during the election, and are actually democrats who voted in the Republican primary race.
Indiana law does require voters to vote in the Republican primary only if they voted Republican in the last general election or intend to support most Republican candidates in the future. But state law also does not require voters to register with either party, rendering those requirements virtually unenforceable.
Copenhaver's original petition to subpoena the voters had accused 14 voters of illegally crossing over, but later acknowledged that three might not actually reside within the district. Some political scientists called the move to subpoena voters unprecedented.
Indiana's Recount Commission will discuss how to handle Copenhaver's call to subpoena voters at its upcoming meetings.
The commission will also consider the challenge from Darren Vogt, who ran against incumbent Republican Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) in Senate District 15. According to unofficial results, Brown leads that race by 15 votes.
Vogt is calling into question Allen County's ballot-counting process and citing technical glitches that delayed the release of final vote tallies until the day after the primary election.
The House District 57 race is also seeking a recount, but for only 10 precincts in Hendricks County, the Indiana Secretary of State's office told WFYI.
That race had four candidates running in the Republican primary: Wes Bennett, Greg Knott, Tina Turner and Rob Stiles. The two front-runners of the race, Wes Bennett and Greg Knott, are only separated by 78 votes, with Bennett in the lead, according to unofficial election results.
Copies of filings and meeting notices will be posted on the recount commission's website.
Morales also announced that his office coordinated with the Voting System Technical Oversight Program at Ball State University to conduct seven post-election audits across the state following the primary election.
Audits were completed in Jackson, Tipton, Whitley, Porter, Sullivan, Randolph and Scott counties and a report will be posted online in the coming weeks.
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org
