11122018 - News Article - Commissioners demand Karen Martin resign as Clerk in the wake of election

Commissioners demand Karen Martin resign as Clerk in the wake of election
Chesterton Tribune
November 12, 2018
http://www.chestertontribune.com/Elections/commissioners_demand_karen_marti.htm
The Porter County Commissioners are demanding the resignation of Porter County Clerk Karen Martin, following the fiasco on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6, in a statement released after deadline on Friday.

The statement appears beneath the Commissioners’ letterhead, which includes the names of all three: Jim Biggs, R-North; Jeff Good, R-Center; and Laura Blaney, D-South.

The text of the statement in full:
“To assure accountability for the serious problems in Tuesday’s election process, and to begin developing a plan to assure that the problems do not occur again, the Porter County Commissioners’ Office is demanding that the County Clerk and Election Board take the following immediate actions.

“(1) Porter County Clerk Karen Martin must resign, effective immediately. Should she win Tuesday’s election for the position of County Auditor, she must also resign before taking office.

“(2) As is the normal protocol, the Porter County Election Board must request any and all investigations that are available through the Indiana Secretary of State Election Division and Indiana State Police. Should the Election Board not make the requests, the Commissioners’ Office shall make every effort within its statutory powers to get those authorities to open an investigation.

“Further, the Commissioners’ Office is requesting that the Porter County Council, Election Board, Democrat Party Chair, and Republican County Chair join with the Commissioners to immediately begin a bipartisan effort to determine any and all actions that must be taken to assure that such a failure never happens again. This cooperative and bipartisan effort is absolutely critical to begin the process of restoring voter confidence in our elections.

“Finally, the Commissioners’ Office extends its sincere and deep gratitude to the hundreds of poll workers that gave of their time on Tuesday and to the Porter County Sheriff’s Department for the support they have given throughout this process.”

Martin, a term-limited Republican, failed in her bid on Nov. 6 to unseat Porter County Auditor Vicki Urbanik, a Democrat.

Good successfully fended off a challenge from Democrat Donna Perdue.