Porter County election board reduces fines, accepts waivers after candidates cite filing errors

The Porter County Election Board on June 25 reduced several civil penalties and accepted waivers after hearing testimony from candidates who said filing errors or confusion about state forms prevented timely campaign-finance reports. The board reduced one candidate’s fine to $125 and another’s to $50, accepted a $1,000 waiver from Beverly Shores, accepted a waiver from Jack Tipple, and assessed a $10 default for an absent filer's late pre-primary report.

The actions occurred during a public campaign-finance hearing that the moderator opened by reading statutory authority, citing Indiana Code IC 3-9-4-17 and related filing requirements. Miss Conrad, who described the notice process to the board, said notices were mailed and that one waiver already existed for Jack Tipple.

Justine Anderson, a candidate who was sworn in for the hearing, told the board she attempted to submit required forms online but encountered a “404” server error on the state/Porter County site and captured a screenshot of the error. “I did contact the county office that day explaining that I'm having this error message,” Anderson said, adding that she emailed the screenshot and later worked with office staff to submit the materials on June 21. She asked the board to consider the site error in deciding a penalty.

Board members and staff questioned Anderson about whether she had used the state CFA-1 form and whether county filing instructions had been provided. Staff members said state forms are generic and that county-specific filing instructions ordinarily are provided in the county packet when applicants come to the office. Staff also said they had no record in the county elections mailbox of the email Anderson referenced. Miss Conrad said she had renoticed the cases and that Beverly Shores had signed a waiver.

After discussion and noting that Anderson’s case was treated as a first-time offense, the board moved and voted to reduce her assessed civil penalty to $125 and instructed Anderson that she had 30 days to pay. “You have 30 days to pay,” the moderator said after the vote.

Benjamin Rosenberger, who was sworn in later in the hearing, told the board he “forgot” to file a required campaign-finance report after not advancing from the primary. Rosenberger said he did not campaign extensively and that filing was new to him. The board treated his omission as a first offense, moved to reduce his penalty, and approved a reduced payment of $50.

Staff reported Beverly Shores agreed to pay a previously assessed $1,000 fine (a second offense) and the board approved acceptance of that waiver. The board also accepted a waiver from Jack Tipple. For Spencer Lemons, who did not appear, staff recommended and the board voted to default the $10 delinquent-defective report fine.

Throughout the hearing, board members emphasized that the county provides packets with local filing instructions and that state forms are intended to be generic across counties. The moderator reiterated the board’s role in assessing penalties under the cited statute and said investigative costs can be added where documented.

The board’s votes were procedural and routine: motions were made and seconded and carried by voice vote. The hearing record and staff guidance will stand as the basis for any further enforcement or appeal by affected filers.

What happens next: the board instructed those permitted to pay reduced fines to do so at the clerk's office within 30 days; for those who accepted waivers the payments will be processed as reported to the board. Any candidate seeking to challenge a penalty or request further reconsideration must follow the board’s established process.