On Friday, Governor Eric Holcomb issued an order moving Indiana’s Primary Election from May 5 to June 2.
Holcomb said, “My view on that fast-approaching primary election is it needed to be pushed back in order to again ensure the safety of our county employees, the poll workers, and the voters themselves.”
Shortly after Holcomb’s announcement, local officials and candidates in this year’s primary began expressing their comments.
McKinney
Williams
Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Williams, whose responsibilities include overseeing all county elections, said, “Moving the Primary out was a very difficult decision made by the Governor but I truly believe it was the best decision. We have been preparing for the ‘what ifs’ all week and there are just not any good answers at this time. We had already started to have polling places canceling and poll workers, who are the backbone of election day process, determining they wouldn’t be able to work. Implementing ‘social distancing’ would be very difficult at the polls and satellite voting.”
Hamilton County Council President Rick McKinney, running for an At-Large re-election spot, said, “My opinion is that I would have preferred the primary date stayed at its original May 5 date. To accommodate new hygiene and ‘personal distancing’ safeguards, voting could have been made 100 percent mail-in ballots for May 5 instead of a month’s delay.”
Williams said, “The time frame to mail out a ballot to every registered voter would have been impossible to do. There would not be enough supplies available statewide to get this done.”
Since there has already been a change in the date schools may resume, who is to say with any degree of certainty it will be safe to hold the primary June 2?” McKinney said.
Hern
Dillinger
Current Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Dillinger, who is running for re-election, said, “Because of the uncertainty and precautions everyone is taking, I understand why the election has been pushed back. As a community, we must band together to beat this virus. I will continue to work with other elected officials to keep our residents safe.”
Hamilton County Councilman Jeff Hern, who seeks re-election, said, “We need to continue to adhere to social distancing, which excludes several traditional campaign initiatives. I always enjoy a new challenge, and I look forward to connecting with voters in a new way. The health and well-being of our community will always be a number one priority. As a current Hamilton County Councilor, I will continue collaborating with other elected officials to protect Hamilton County.”
Ditslear
Nation
Hamilton County Council candidate Steve Nation said, “Good government is made better when elected officials or those running for office have the opportunity to listen to citizens, and when appropriate, work with them to find solutions. This virus has impeded this dialogue. I am happy that the Governor’s action will give us more time to talk before the election takes place. I hope that this shows that such dialogue will last after the election.”
John Ditslear, former Noblesville Mayor and candidate for Hamilton County Council, said, “We are in a very serious situation and I support the Governor’s decision to delay the election. My family and I have been staying home to protect ourselves, as well as our great community. I will continue to follow the State Department of Health and the Governor’s guidance. We will re-adjust our campaign strategy to continue to educate the voters.”
Referring to COVID-19, McKinney said, “Hamilton County is in stable financial position to weather this current crisis, in part to the conservative fiscal management and leadership demonstrated by the County Council.”
“We know we are going to have to work through a lot of issues but I am very confident in my election and clerk staff that we will get the job done,” concluded Williams.