The Marion County Election Board voted unanimously on July 18 to close 13 complaints (filed as 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13) after staff reviewed each matter and found either corrective actions had been taken or the concerns were caused by a technical error in the county's public campaign-finance lookup tool.

Director of Elections Patrick Becker told the board the review covered complaints received through June 30 and that staff formalized a reporting process this year because of the volume of complaints and the irregular meeting schedule during election season. During the review staff discovered that when a committee filed multiple amended reports on the same day the upload process caused the website to show repeated scans of the same document rather than distinct filings. "When we uploaded all of those on the same day with the same date on them, it took the most recent scan that was done that day and basically duplicated on all of those," Becker said.

Becker said staff notified the ISA applications team that built the tool and that there is no timetable yet for a fix. He said the office retains the original scanned filings and will provide copies to anyone who believes the online display is incorrect. He asked that members of the public report suspected errors to elections.ind.gov so staff can provide the correct reports and log the issue with IT.

Legal context and board deliberation

Outside counsel Brad Boswell reviewed the legal standard the board must apply when a Title 3 complaint is alleged: if the board has "substantial reason to believe that a Title 3 violation has occurred," it must investigate. Boswell told the members they could vote on the set of complaints en masse and that dismissal language should reflect that an investigation was not warranted rather than implying the complaints were ignored.

After discussion about the nature of the complaints and the technical cause identified by staff, Kate Bell moved to close complaints 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13 based on staff information and to direct staff to notify each filer of the board's decision and any findings. The motion was seconded and passed on a recorded voice vote. Vice Chair Jennifer Ping, Clerk Kate Bell and Chair Nolita Stewart each voted "aye." The board instructed staff to prepare follow-up communications to complainants describing the board's decision and any corrective actions taken.

Why it matters

The board's action closes the current set of matters while creating a record that staff investigated and, in many cases, found technical or corrective explanations. Board members emphasized their county-limited investigatory authority; counsel reminded the body that its jurisdiction is confined to county-relevant issues.

Next steps

Staff will draft and send notifications to the individuals who filed each complaint describing the board's decision and any information discovered during the review. The elections office will continue to work with the ISA applications team to correct the public campaign-finance lookup tool; no timetable for that fix was provided.

Ending

The board closed the complaints and scheduled follow-up communications; no further action was taken on the items at the July 18 meThe Marion County Election Board voted unanimously on July 18 to close 13 complaints (filed as 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13) after staff reviewed each matter and found either corrective actions had been taken or the concerns were caused by a technical error in the county's public campaign-finance lookup tool.

Director of Elections Patrick Becker told the board the review covered complaints received through June 30 and that staff formalized a reporting process this year because of the volume of complaints and the irregular meeting schedule during election season. During the review staff discovered that when a committee filed multiple amended reports on the same day the upload process caused the website to show repeated scans of the same document rather than distinct filings. "When we uploaded all of those on the same day with the same date on them, it took the most recent scan that was done that day and basically duplicated on all of those," Becker said.

Becker said staff notified the ISA applications team that built the tool and that there is no timetable yet for a fix. He said the office retains the original scanned filings and will provide copies to anyone who believes the online display is incorrect. He asked that members of the public report suspected errors to elections.ind.gov so staff can provide the correct reports and log the issue with IT.

Legal context and board deliberation

Outside counsel Brad Boswell reviewed the legal standard the board must apply when a Title 3 complaint is alleged: if the board has "substantial reason to believe that a Title 3 violation has occurred," it must investigate. Boswell told the members they could vote on the set of complaints en masse and that dismissal language should reflect that an investigation was not warranted rather than implying the complaints were ignored.

After discussion about the nature of the complaints and the technical cause identified by staff, Kate Bell moved to close complaints 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13 based on staff information and to direct staff to notify each filer of the board's decision and any findings. The motion was seconded and passed on a recorded voice vote. Vice Chair Jennifer Ping, Clerk Kate Bell and Chair Nolita Stewart each voted "aye." The board instructed staff to prepare follow-up communications to complainants describing the board's decision and any corrective actions taken.

Why it matters

The board's action closes the current set of matters while creating a record that staff investigated and, in many cases, found technical or corrective explanations. Board members emphasized their county-limited investigatory authority; counsel reminded the body that its jurisdiction is confined to county-relevant issues.

Next steps

Staff will draft and send notifications to the individuals who filed each complaint describing the board's decision and any information discovered during the review. The elections office will continue to work with the ISA applications team to correct the public campaign-finance lookup tool; no timetable for that fix was provided.

Ending

The board closed the complaints and scheduled follow-up communications; no further action was taken on 


the items at the July 18 meeting.



eting.The Marion County Election Board voted unanimously on July 18 to close 13 complaints (filed as 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13) after staff reviewed each matter and found either corrective actions had been taken or the concerns were caused by a technical error in the county's public campaign-finance lookup tool.

Director of Elections Patrick Becker told the board the review covered complaints received through June 30 and that staff formalized a reporting process this year because of the volume of complaints and the irregular meeting schedule during election season. During the review staff discovered that when a committee filed multiple amended reports on the same day the upload process caused the website to show repeated scans of the same document rather than distinct filings. "When we uploaded all of those on the same day with the same date on them, it took the most recent scan that was done that day and basically duplicated on all of those," Becker said.

Becker said staff notified the ISA applications team that built the tool and that there is no timetable yet for a fix. He said the office retains the original scanned filings and will provide copies to anyone who believes the online display is incorrect. He asked that members of the public report suspected errors to elections.ind.gov so staff can provide the correct reports and log the issue with IT.

Legal context and board deliberation

Outside counsel Brad Boswell reviewed the legal standard the board must apply when a Title 3 complaint is alleged: if the board has "substantial reason to believe that a Title 3 violation has occurred," it must investigate. Boswell told the members they could vote on the set of complaints en masse and that dismissal language should reflect that an investigation was not warranted rather than implying the complaints were ignored.

After discussion about the nature of the complaints and the technical cause identified by staff, Kate Bell moved to close complaints 2020Five-1 through 2020Five-13 based on staff information and to direct staff to notify each filer of the board's decision and any findings. The motion was seconded and passed on a recorded voice vote. Vice Chair Jennifer Ping, Clerk Kate Bell and Chair Nolita Stewart each voted "aye." The board instructed staff to prepare follow-up communications to complainants describing the board's decision and any corrective actions taken.

Why it matters

The board's action closes the current set of matters while creating a record that staff investigated and, in many cases, found technical or corrective explanations. Board members emphasized their county-limited investigatory authority; counsel reminded the body that its jurisdiction is confined to county-relevant issues.

Next steps

Staff will draft and send notifications to the individuals who filed each complaint describing the board's decision and any information discovered during the review. The elections office will continue to work with the ISA applications team to correct the public campaign-finance lookup tool; no timetable for that fix was provided.

Ending

The board closed the complaints and scheduled follow-up communications; no further action was taken on the items at the July 18 meeting.