GOLIATH CALL ON SECRETARY OF STATE TO STEP DOWN
INDIANAPOLIS — A special prosecutor says a grand jury has indicted the state's top election official on seven felony counts, including voter fraud and perjury.
John Dowd said Thursday that Republican Secretary of State Charlie White faces three counts of voter fraud and two counts of perjury for using his ex-wife's home in Fishers instead of his condo as his address when voting in the May primary. He also faces theft and financial fraud charges.
White has said the address situation was an honest mistake caused by his busy schedule and new marriage.
White's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The Republican defeated Democrat Vop Osili in November. He would be forced to resign if convicted.
And here's more:
John Dowd said Thursday that Republican Secretary of State Charlie White faces three counts of voter fraud and two counts of perjury for using his ex-wife's home in Fishers instead of his condo as his address when voting in the May primary. He also faces theft and financial fraud charges.
White has said the address situation was an honest mistake caused by his busy schedule and new marriage.
White's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The Republican defeated Democrat Vop Osili in November. He would be forced to resign if convicted.
And here's more:
Timeline of documented facts
January 25th, 2007: According to Hamilton County public records, Charlie Whitedeeded his home at 7527 Broad Leaf Lane, Fishers over to his ex-wife
(she is currently registered to vote at this location). Records indicate shortly thereafter, he moves to an apartment on Pintail Drive within his council district (district 2) and legally changes his voter registration address to this location. At some point prior to the November 2009 Special Election, Mr. White claims that he moved back in with his ex-wife, but fails to properly change his voter registration back to this address.
(she is currently registered to vote at this location). Records indicate shortly thereafter, he moves to an apartment on Pintail Drive within his council district (district 2) and legally changes his voter registration address to this location. At some point prior to the November 2009 Special Election, Mr. White claims that he moved back in with his ex-wife, but fails to properly change his voter registration back to this address.
November 10, 2009: Mr. White, while seeking to vote in the Special Election, verbally indicates to the poll clerk that he no longer lives at Pintail, and states that he lives instead at his ex-wife’s home on Broad Leaf. He is allowed to vote, utilizing a “fail safe” provision under Indiana law (IC 3-10-11-2 and IC 3-10-12-3.4), which allows him to vote in his former precinct while residing in another precinct. The poll book is marked accordingly and Mr. White signs it.
February 22nd, 2010: Responding to a correspondence sent by the Hamilton County Clerk, public records show Mr. White filled out a voter registration “change of address” form and again affirms the Broad Leaf address as his residence for voting.
February 26th, 2010: Mr. White closes on a newly purchased condominium, located at 13086 Overview Drive in Fishers– roughly five miles away from his Council district. The “sales disclosure” form for this property show that Mr. White checked both the “primary residence” box and the “homestead” tax exemption boxes.
May 4th, 2010: Mr. White votes in the Republican Primary, affirming to the poll Clerk that he resides at the ex-wife’s house on Broad Leaf. Note: As the deadline for voter registration/change of address had passed, he could have under Indiana law, legally engaged the “fail safe” provision again, as it legally “reset” once he changed from one voting precinct to another (from Pintail to Broad Leaf, or Delaware 14 to Delaware 12, respectively). The poll book he signed, with “current address??? checked at the address he did not live at, is evidence that he chose not to do so. Note: if he had declared 13086 Overview Drive as his voting address at any time, he would have forfeited his town council seat.
May 28th, 2010: Mr. White marries his current wife who is registered to vote at an address near the condo he purchased.
June 19th, 2010: Mr. White accepts the Republican Party’s nomination as a candidate for Indiana Secretary of State and files an official “declaration of candidacy” form, citing his primary address is 13086 Overview Drive, despite being registered to vote at 7527 Broad Leaf Lane (curiously, he uses this address as the “mailing address” on the same form). Note: State law requires that the primary address of the declaration of candidacy form match the candidate’s voter registration (at this point, he was still registered at Broad Leaf). If this were to have been discovered and reported, it could have prevented him from appearing on the ballot as a candidate for Secretary of State. Further, as the primary address lies outside (well outside) if discovered, it would have triggered forfeiture of his town council seat.
September 21st, 2010: Mr. Greg Purvis, a local Hamilton County attorney and activist, speaks to members of the press and sends an email communication andmedia advisory requesting attendance of the media for a press conference for the following morning to discuss matters concerning Mr. White’s “voting irregularities and voting improprieties” Mr. White resigns from the town council the same day, stating on the record with WISH TV reporter Jim Shella that he “made a couple silly mistakes. I’ll learn from it. I didn’t think about re-registering.” Note: the Secretary of State is the top election official in the state. This is the office Mr. White is seeking and is on the ballot this fall. This is the second time Mr. White has “forgotten??? to update his voter registration upon changing his address.
September 22nd, 2010: Mr. Purvis holds his previously scheduled press conference and provides members of the media and the Hamilton County Prosecutor, Sonia Leerkamp, a letter and several public documents detailing Mr. White’s seemingly illegal activities, stating “you cannot be a lawmaker, if you are a law breaker,” in reference to White.
September 23rd, 2010: Attempting to explain his illegal tenure on the town council, Mr. White releases the following statement to the media: “Because of my statewide campaign for secretary of state and recent marriage, I failed to realize my new residence was outside my council district. Once notified of the situation, I took immediate action to correct the issue.” Note: His new address was 5 miles away from his council district. Also of note, Mr. White is a lawyer, the Hamilton County Republican Chairman and served as a town councilman for 10 years, assisting in drawing the very same political boundaries he “failed to realize”.
September 27-30, 2010: Several Democrat leaders comment and call for an investigation, including State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker, and Vop Osili, the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State.
September 28th, 2010: Attempting to explain Mr. White’s actions to the press, State GOP Chairman Murray Clark states “Charlie was entitled under law to vote one last time at his old polling location.” Says Clark, “He satisfied all the criteria to go back his old poll, his precinct, and vote. What wasn’t done was the formality of the affidavit, which in retrospect we wouldn’t be having this discussion if it had been done.” Note: Mr. Clark is referencing the availability of the use of the “fail safe” provision. There are two mechanisms available under Indiana, one verbal, which Mr. White is documentedas using in 2009 and the other is filling out a form known as a VRG-4/12, which is essentially an affidavit. Mr. White did neither of these two options, but still voted illegally in a precinct he did not live in.
September 30th, 2010: Vop Osili pressures the Hamilton County prosecutor to call for a Special Prosecutor to be appointed as well as a Grand Jury investigation on the matter. The same day, the Hamilton County Prosecutor agrees that there is sufficient evidence to proceed, and conveys to the media that a Special Prosecutor will be appointed, but doubted if any findings would be produced prior to the election.
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