Braun nixes appeal that he order Indiana Election Commission meeting

Republican Gov. Mike Braun won’t direct the Indiana Election Commission to meet ahead of Election Day to review pending campaign misconduct allegations.

Braun responded Tuesday to a request from Lincoln Party secretary of state candidate Greg Ballard for the commission to take up those complaints earlier than its scheduled Nov. 20 meeting.

Ballard’s appeal on Monday to the governor came the same day that a judge handling a lawsuit filed by Ballard rejected his motion seeking a court order for a commission meeting.

In a response letter released by the governor’s office, Braun said he would not intervene.

“While no process is ever perfect, I am satisfied that the Commission has managed the business of election law competently and efficiently,” Braun’s letter said. “As the Marion County Superior Court noted in its decision denying your motion for preliminary injunction, you have offered no evidence that the meeting scheduled for November 20 is insufficient to address any pending allegations of campaign finance violations.”

Ballard has criticized the Election Commission — made up of two Republicans and two Democrats — as overly partisan as he pushed for it to consider the campaign finance complaints against Republican candidate Max Engling and Democrat Beau Bayh.

State law gives Braun and Election Commission Chair Beth Boyce, who is also the Johnson County Republican chair, authority over calling meetings of the panel.

“Based on yesterday’s disappointing ruling, the election commission got away with it,” Ballard said Tuesday. “They got away with it. They simply wanted to run out the clock.”