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Click Here for Press Release from Democratic Chairperson Jim Gredy
Click Here for Press Release from Clerk Beth Mulry
The Recount and the Contest
For the first time in anyone's memory, maybe the first time ever, a recount of votes and a contest of an election were requested in one Brown County precinct this year.
Who filed it? The Republican county chairperson, of course.
What did the Republican county chairperson say? The recount petition said the Republican county chairperson "in good faith" believed the votes were "not correctly counted and returned." The contest petition said the Republican county chairperson "in good faith" believed: "(1) a mistake was made in the printing or distribution of ballots used in the election that makes it impossible to determine which candidate received the highest number of votes cast in the election and/or (2) that a deliberate act or series of actions occurred making it impossible to determine which candidate received the highest number of votes."
What races did the Republican county chairperson challenge? Oddly, not all the races. Just the races for Clerk, which they couldn't have won even if the votes of everyone in the entire precinct was thrown out, and Sheriff, which they could have won if the votes were thrown out, and which was the real reason the petitions were filed. We can only assume the Republican county chairperson is still upset that she lost her bid for Clerk four years ago, when she was soundly defeated by Democrat Beth Mulry.
Somehow, according to the Republican county chairperson, the mistakes in counting and the mistakes in printing or distribution of ballots magically applied only to those two races and no others on the ballot. Somehow, according to the Republican county chairperson, the deliberate acts were the fault of the poll workers, even though three of the five poll workers were appointed by that same Republican county chairperson. And somehow (more magic), even though throwing out the entire precinct's vote would not have changed the result in the Clerk's race, it was not possible for the Republican county chairperson to determine who won the election for Clerk.
How long has this been going on? The Republican county chairperson filed her petitions on November 19, 2010. She didn't ask to dismiss the recount until two days before it was scheduled to occur on December 16, 2010. She didn't ask to dismiss the contest until two days before it was scheduled to be heard on December 22, 2010. During that time, our candidates and our party had to hire an attorney to answer what the Republicans' Indianapolis lawyers had filed. The competence of poll workers, Democrat and Republican, was questioned. And the citizens of Brown County were left hanging, uncertain who won.
What was the outcome? The Republican county chairperson folded her leaky tent and sent her lawyers back to Indianapolis. When it came time to put up or shut up, the Republican county chairperson was forced to recognize that the Democratic candidates for Sheriff, Rick Followell, and Clerk, Beth Mulry, won the election.
But did the Republican county chairperson really shut up? Of course not. In her motions to dismiss, the Republican county chairperson continues to question the results in the disputed precinct, the training of poll workers, and the results of the election county-wide. In fact, the only thing she doesn't question is her "good faith."
Maybe it's time the responsible members of our loyal opposition take a long hard look at those who have taken control of the Brown County Republican Party. They deserve better. As do the people of Brown County.