Charles White, Indiana Secretary Of State, Removed From Office

An Indianapolis county court has removed Indiana Secretary of State Charles White from office on charges of voter fraud relating to his 2010 election.

The Marion County Circuit Court issued the order late Thursday afternoon in response to a Democratic Party civil suit alleging that White lied about his residency during the 2010 election to retain salary from a town councilman post he held. White is currently facing criminal charges stemming from the voter fraud allegations. In Indiana, the secretary of state also serves as the chief elections official.

The court order requires the state's Recount Commission to void White's 2010 election certification and award the secretary of state's post to runner-up Vop Osili (D). Osili was elected last month as a councilman for the Indianapolis-Marion County government.

WTHR in Indiana reports that the Recount Commission is seeking a stay of the ruling pending White's appeal, and requesting that White remain secretary of state pending a final outcome of the civil case.

The court's decision said that it does not "imply" that White's actions "were or were not fraudulent or committed a crime," but rather that he "knowingly registered in the wrong precinct." The court is deferring any questions of illegal activity for decision during the coming criminal trial, which begins on Jan. 30.

If convicted while still in office, White would be automatically unseated. Under this procedure, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) would appoint a new secretary of state.

White has been accused by local Democrats of stating his address as the home shared with his son and ex-wife, Nicole Mills, in Fishers, Ind., while actually living in a condo in another part of town. The house that White and Mills shared is in the second council district, which White represented, while his new condo was not within the district lines. The court decision said that White made $12,000 annually as a councilman.

According to the court decision, White lived within his former Council district in a rental apartment for a period following his divorce and in his ex-wife's basement for several months prior to his second marriage. Court papers say he signed mortgage documents in February 2010, but noted he was traveling as part of his statewide campaign and sleeping in his car at points.

The court reported that White had not changed his voter registration until September, after his June nomination by the state GOP for secretary of state and his May remarriage. The ruling said that White had moved his belongings into the new condo immediately following his second marriage.

Comments

[paddlerchick]

08:37 AM on 02/04/2012

Where's James O'Keefe when you need him?

[MaryK2924]

09:50 AM on 12/24/2011

What a dope.

[giant1]

12:23 AM on 12/24/2011

The guy claims he was living with his ex-wife instead of in the house he bought for his mistress. This sounds so Newt-ile.

Now I know why all these GOP politicians are down on Sharia law. They afraid of getting stoned. (the old fashioned way, that is)

[judesuper]

02:14 PM on 12/23/2011

HA! I love it!

OK repubs, just whom committing voter fraud again?

Oh yeah, it you!

Busted!! You just got to love it!

Now Indiana will have a clean election in 2012!

[magnolialover]

07:26 AM on 12/24/2011

No, don't you know? This is all ACORN's fault.

[choco1996]

02:02 PM on 12/23/2011

perfect the last two major voter fraud cases are those done by republicans, one in Indidan and the other in Florida..ms Harris in the stolen election bush v gore.....

[Jerry Vasquez]

02:01 PM on 12/23/2011

Is this not the first real case of voter fraud? That it happens to involve a republican is a
welcome twist.

[Liberal2]

02:16 PM on 12/23/2011

The guy lied about his residency....there was no *VOTER* fraud. It was a fraudulent filing for candidacy.

I believe voter fraud is where someone who votes does so when not qualified by residency, registration, or citizenship; and when votes are deleted, changed, or added.

[Jerry Vasquez]

02:23 PM on 12/23/2011

You maybe right BUT it would not be a stretch to include this type as well.
After all, getting on the ballot by fraudulent means effects the process also.

[Sick of the nonsense]

11:54 PM on 12/23/2011

He voted in the district he wasn't really living in. That's where the voter fraud comes in.

[Iris Silver]

01:59 PM on 12/23/2011

He lied about his residency to make $12k from a job he wasn't qualified for. Now, he may lose his $66k job for that lie. Can't get much sweeter irony than that.

[jospeh Sparks]

01:55 PM on 12/23/2011

This is voter registration fraud, not voter fraud. In voter fraud, an actual false vote must me cast. Actual voter fraud has been minimal, and there is no evidence that photo IDs will prevent this almost non-existent problem. Photo IDs laws are used to disenfranchise voters and registration fraud is used to justify these unnecessary laws.

[jerabaub]

02:02 PM on 12/23/2011

True, while actual cases of massive voter fraud are nonexistent, and even trivial cases are extremely rare(where one person casts two ballots, for instance), the myth and lie that this is a big problem has been fairly effective, especially among dumbed down news consumers who get their information from Limbaugh and 'Fox News.

[magnolialover]

07:28 AM on 12/24/2011

This is definitely true. And the new voter ID laws lots of hardcore right wing Governors have pushed through are proof that basically, the right wingers are scared to let poor people and minorities vote. They are making it harder for folks to vote because they are afraid of who those folks will vote for.

[magnolialover]

07:30 AM on 12/24/2011

Yeah, the requirement to have a photo ID is like or is a poll tax to combat a problem that doesn't exist. Of course, these jokers get around it by saying, we will make the photo ID needed for voting free! Of course this doesn't take into account the other forms of ID that might be needed to get said photo ID and or the time and money required to get those other items to get a photo ID and or how these folks can get a photo ID. For instance, if they live in a town where there is no DMV to get your photo ID and they have no vehicle to get to a DMV to get an ID. How do they get an ID to vote?

[BBackSoon]

01:42 PM on 12/23/2011

Repubs don't mess with street level voter fraud. They steal elections by counting the votes.

[watoos013]

01:42 PM on 12/23/2011

Romney did it. Said he lived in his son's basement.

[Caroleeena]

01:37 PM on 12/23/2011

Patrick McHenry did the same thing in North Carolina. When is that little closeted man who called Elizabeth Warren a liar during congressional hearing (even though it was proven that HE was the one actually lying) going to lose his seat?

[SecularJoe]

01:15 PM on 12/23/2011

I don't like it when Republicans try to disenfranchise voters to win elections, and I don't like this either. Seems like the people's votes are trying to be overturned on a technicality (read the end of the article more closely). You want a democrat in the office? Win the election.

[bgofca]

01:21 PM on 12/23/2011

cheating is not the way to win an election.

[ricnaustin]

12:45 PM on 12/23/2011

And who's passing laws regarding voter fraud?

[Opygollopy]

12:48 PM on 12/23/2011

Republicans. How nice, caught in their own trap. So satisfying.

[VietVet67]

12:42 PM on 12/23/2011

See? That's what they wanted the new laws for voting. Oh, it's one of their own. To quote my guv: "Oops".

[AquarianInExile]

01:05 PM on 12/23/2011

Viet,

Happy Ho Ho to you and yours!

A crooked member of the RePiggery Obstructionist Team of Teabagging Fascists and Fewls? Say it ain't so~roflmfao



BTW, have you seen this? Do you know the status of this "investigation"?


http://www.nationalmemo.com/article/perrys-medicaid-reforms-500-million-misspent-lethal-consequences-texas


Eykis

[VietVet67]

06:45 PM on 12/23/2011

Eykis,

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

I must've missed that story somehow. I'll see what I can find. It's starting to be a mad house here all of a sudden.

[Lachelle Wolfe]

12:22 PM on 12/23/2011

why do republican's feel rules are not for them?