Hamilton County Republican Chairman Mario Massillamany on Thursday called on the Indiana State Police and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate and prosecute a volunteer for Greg Ballard’s secretary of state campaign who election officials say submitted forged petition signatures.
In a statement dated June 18, Massillamany said Hamilton County election officials discovered a page of 10 forged signatures, confirmed the volunteer’s identity, and referred the matter to law enforcement.
The signatures were collected as part of Ballard’s effort to qualify for the November ballot as the “Lincoln Party” candidate for secretary of state — the office responsible for overseeing Indiana’s elections. Ballard, the former Republican mayor of Indianapolis, is pursuing ballot access by petition rather than party convention, a route the release said requires roughly 37,000 verified voter signatures.
“The irony cannot be overstated,” Massillamany said. “Greg Ballard is running for the very office charged with protecting Indiana’s elections, and a volunteer on his campaign has been caught committing election fraud. If you cannot run an honest petition drive, you have no business running the office that safeguards our elections.”
Massillamany urged three actions: that state police and the county prosecutor investigate and prosecute the volunteer; that all 92 county election officials cross-reference Ballard petition signatures against voter rolls before certifying any pages; and that the Indiana Election Division flag and audit pages submitted by the same collector across multiple counties.
He also cautioned Hoosiers approached to sign any ballot-access petition to verify who is collecting signatures, confirm their information is recorded accurately, and avoid signing partially completed forms. “Make sure every line is filled in before you sign,” he said.
The Ballard campaign pushed back on the suggestion that the episode signaled a wider problem.
“This is the system working exactly the way it’s supposed to,” the campaign said, noting that counties verify all signatures and that each signature gatherer must sign every petition sheet attesting to its validity.
The campaign said it ended the individual’s association as soon as it learned of the issue, describing the person as a “rogue” volunteer, and said it is committed to following all state and federal election laws.
The 10 signatures, the campaign said, represent 0.02% of the more than 35,000 signatures it has already submitted.
The exchange comes as Indiana Republicans prepare to select their own secretary of state nominee at the party’s convention in Fort Wayne on Saturday. Ballard’s decision to seek the office outside the GOP — and the prospect of a high-profile former mayor on the fall ballot — has drawn close attention from party officials.
Massillamany’s statement said the matter has been referred to law enforcement. No charges have been announced.
