By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Indiana voters face an unusual ballot question as they go to the polls this fall.
The question asks voters to amend Indiana’s constitution to remove the superintendent of public instruction from the line of succession to the governor’s office. Under Article 5, Section 10 of the Indiana Constitution, the superintendent of public instruction is the seventh and final official in the line of succession, after the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the state treasurer, the state auditor (now known as the state comptroller) and the secretary of state.
State lawmakers replaced that office, which was elected, with an appointed secretary of education, effective in 2021. Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, said the line of succession should only include officials who have already been vetted by voters.
“Just simply given the fact that the governor’s office is an elected position by the voters of the state, a statewide elected office, I think it’s important to have a path for anybody that’s in that position to be somebody that’s at least have to be vetted by the citizens of the state,” he said.
Prescott in 2023 wrote the resolution that put the question on the ballot. It passed both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously. Prescott and Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, said it’s very unlikely the state would ever need to go that far down the line of succession. DeLaney said the amendment would have no substantive effect.
“It really doesn’t make sense to have an unelected person on the list of successors to the governor. It’s that simple,” DeLaney said. “I would say we should never have put that office on that list, but we did and we’re just cleaning up the constitution.”
Any succession beyond the lieutenant governor likely would be temporary. The constitution requires the General Assembly to meet within 48 hours and elect a new governor if the offices of both the governor and the lieutenant governor are vacant. The person they choose must come from the same political party as the governor they replace.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting continues until noon on Monday, Nov. 4.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/election/indiana-constitutional-amendment-superintendent.
Can you help me understand? In the 1851 Constitution that was approved of by Indiana voters, the elected office of State Superintendent was established in Article 8.
Where did our legislation find permission for them to replace the elected Superintendent position with a new Secretary position that is appointed by the Governor?