The Marion County Election Board Thursday took a pass on taking up an election complaint concerning Center Township Constable Kenneth Allen, but it began the process of referring a possible criminal matter concerning a voter and a poll worker to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
Former candidate William Duke Oliver filed the complaint with the Election Board alleging Allen did not live in Center Township.
Allen was selected to replace Denise Paul Hatch after she was convicted of a felony.
Board Secretary and County Clerk Kate Sweeny Bell told Indy Politics the Election Board did not have jurisdiction to hear the matter because Allen was no longer a candidate and the Board could only hear matters before elections. She said voters could pursue other legal avenues in their efforts to hold Allen accountable.
Concerning the criminal matter, the Board began the process of referring a voter to the Marion County Prosecutor’s office, who had an altercation with a poll inspector. The voter was wearing pro-Donald Trump paraphernalia, which is not allowed inside polling places.
The voter was told he could not wear the pro-Trump clothing in the polling location and would have to leave but he could come back and vote if he changed clothes.
The voter got in the poll worker’s face and took off his hat and shirt, where he had two weapons concealed. Weapons are not allowed in polling places.
The Board is inviting the voter to tell his side of the story at their next meeting in January, and then a decision will be made.
You can hear Sweeny Bell in the Leon-Tailored Audio below.
It runs for about seven minutes.
