By JESSICA BRICKER
A few technical issues have yet to be ironed out for Friday’s public hearing of the Wells County Election Board.
Republican Chair Zach Rodgers is challenging the candidacy of three state convention delegates for the May primary.
According to information provided last week to The News-Banner, Rodgers is challenging the validity of the filings by Ashley and Mitchell Peterson and Cierra Thompson, all of Bluffton. Rodgers is arguing that none of the three have the required primary voting history of Republican votes.
During Tuesday’s regularly scheduled election board meeting, Rodgers asked what would happen if too many people attended Friday’s hearing. Clerk Beth Davis said remote viewing would be set up in advance but she doesn’t anticipate the room filling past capacity.
Roy Johnson, the former county attorney who participated in Tuesday’s meeting remotely and will have to do the same for Friday’s hearing, suggested the election board establish rules for the hearing and make the distinction between witnesses and observers. Witnesses could then be separated before testifying during the hearing.
Davis encouraged Johnson to work on those rules, which will be shared with Davis and board member Larry Sell, as well as publicly posted, in advance of Friday’s hearing.
Davis said she sent copies to the board members of the voting histories that Rodgers is basing his challenges on, and Johnson said he researched state statute and political party rules for running for the position.
Friday’s hearing begins at 10 a.m. in the lower level multi-purpose room of the Wells Carnegie Government Annex.
The board will have to decide if Rodgers is correct, leading to the three candidates’ filings being removed from consideration in the primary, or if the three candidates can remain on the May primary ballot.
jessica@news-banner.com
