Election board removes Amy Drake from GOP convention delegate ballot

The St. Joseph County Election Board voted on Feb. 25 to uphold a candidate filing challenge and remove Amy Drake from the ballot for delegate to the Republican state convention after finding her declaration listed the wrong delegate district.

The challenge was brought by Michael Johnson, who told the board Drake had filed as a candidate for District 5 while she actually lives in District 1, citing the candidate's CAN‑37 and the secretary of state's district information. "Drake's candidacy form is invalid and she should be removed from the ballot accordingly," Johnson said.

At a resumed hearing, Drake testified she intended to run from the district matching her address and said recent changes to delegate district maps created confusion for candidates. "I was intending to run in the Delegate District that matched my address," Drake said under oath. Her attorney, James A. Masters, argued the error was a scrivener mistake and that other candidates had been allowed to correct similar errors after filing. "As a matter of fundamental fairness, Amy Drake should be given the same opportunity as other candidates were given to correct what is essentially a typographical or scrivener's error on her candidate form," Masters told the board.

Clerk's office employee Kimberly Riscovich testified that staff sometimes contacted candidates about obvious omissions and that, when staff found "blatant" errors, they reached out to the filer. She also said the office does not systematically verify each filing against the new district maps because the districts recently changed: "We don't look to make sure it's the right information. We don't really have a way to know."

Board members considered evidence and competing arguments about whether post‑filing clerical changes had been permitted for other candidates and whether the deadline for amendments had passed. After closing remarks, a motion to uphold the challenge and remove Drake from the ballot carried by voice vote; the chair announced the motion carried and Drake was removed.

The board did not announce any immediate court filings; the transcript does not record a notice of appeal in this matter. The decision changes the set of certified delegate candidates for the upcoming Republican state convention and resolves the question of Drake's eligibility for the county delegate ballot for this election.

What happens next: the board's action is a final administrative decision of the county election board as recorded in the meeting minutes; any party or candidate seeking to overturn the decision would need to pursue judicial review under the statutory appeals process.