State Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, will resign from the Indiana Senate if voters reelect him on Nov. 3, according to Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray’s office. Alting will not resign from his current term, which ends with the election. He has informed Bray of his decision.

If Alting wins, Republican precinct committeemen, not voters, will choose who represents Senate District 22.

Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Alting had been accused of shoplifting from Walmart stores in the Lafayette area. A special prosecutor is reviewing multiple cases. Alting has not been charged. He stepped back from active campaigning soon after the allegations came to light.

On Wednesday, Alting said in a Facebook post that he has been undergoing medical evaluation for “concerning changes in my judgment, behavior and cognitive functioning.” He said he would end his 28-year Senate career. “I take responsibility for my actions,” he wrote.

Here’s how the replacement process would work.

Why He’s Still on the Ballot

The deadline for candidates to voluntarily withdraw from the general election ballot was July 15, and early voting is already underway. Alting faces Democrat Natasha Baker in the district, which covers all of Carroll County and part of Tippecanoe County.

When the Seat Opens

Alting will serve out the remaining two weeks of his current term. Article 4, Section 3 of the Indiana Constitution says senators serve four years “from the day next after their general election.” If Alting is reelected, his new term would start Nov. 4.

Lawmakers take the oath on Organization Day later in November. Because the term begins the day after the election, a resignation could take effect when the new term starts, without Alting first being sworn in.

Who Picks the Replacement

Indiana doesn’t hold special elections for General Assembly vacancies. Under Indiana Code 3-13-5, the seat is filled by a caucus of precinct committeemen from the district who belong to the party that held it. For SD 22, that means Republican committeemen from the district’s portions of Carroll and Tippecanoe counties.

Key rules:

  • The caucus has 30 days after the vacancy occurs to make its pick.
  • The Indiana Republican Party chairman can give notice of the caucus before the vacancy takes effect when a resignation has been announced. Indiana Election Division guidance says a party may hold the caucus before the resignation takes effect.
  • Committeemen must receive notice at least 10 days before the meeting.
  • The replacement must live in the district.
  • Alting cannot be a candidate to fill his own vacancy.

The person chosen would have the same rights and duties as an elected senator and would serve the rest of the term, through the 2030 election.

Alting said in his statement that the vacancy process “will produce an outstanding leader” for the district. Earlier this month, local Republicans said it was too soon to call for Alting to resign and that they would wait until after the election.

What If Baker Wins?

There’s no vacancy. Baker would be sworn in on Organization Day and serve the full four-year term.

Baker said in a statement that Alting’s announcement “raises important questions about who would ultimately represent our district and how that decision would be made.”

“Voters deserve a senator elected by the people, not hand selected by party insiders,” she said. She urged district residents to vote and wished Alting and his family well.

About Alting

Alting, 70, was first elected to the Senate in 1998 after serving on the Lafayette City Council, including as council president. He is the chamber’s longest-serving member and has chaired the Senate Public Policy Committee.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life,” Alting wrote.