(La Porte, IN) - The wheels of democracy were grinding away Friday in La Porte County. The County Election Board undertook the tedious task of hearing challenges to candidates for the upcoming primary election.

 

Nine Republican candidates were challenged. Seven of those challenges were upheld because candidates had either failed to vote previously as Republicans or had not voted in two previous primaries, as required by law. Two candidates in precinct and state delegate races remained on the ballot.

 

Judy Davis was also removed from the Republican ballot for County Coroner. She was found to be not in good standing with the party.

 

Rodney McCormick removed himself from contention on the Republican ballot. According to an apologetic McCormick, he discovered that he did not meet the requirement for voting in two previous elections as a Republican and was respectfully withdrawing his name.

 

Also not making the cut was Rich Mrozinski, who had filed to run for re-election as commissioner.

 

Three challenges were brought against Mrozinski. The first was that he had signed, notarized, and faxed his paperwork from Florida. Mrozinski’s attorney, Alan Sirinek, argued that Mrozinski’s daughter did hand-deliver the documents here in La Porte County as required by law. That challenge was denied.

 

Another challenge claimed that Mrozinski had failed to initial filing documents correctly. Sirinek argued that the documents in question were not essential to his candidacy. That challenge, however, was upheld, which in itself was enough to disqualify Mrozinski’s candidacy. Sirinek called the decision “a draconian response to a mere technicality.”

 

The board upheld the final claim that Mrozinski had been unanimously voted out of the Republican Party by party membership in September of 2022. Sirinek argued that Mrozinski’s ouster from the party was invalid since he was never given due process in the party’s decision.

 

On this point, Sirinek had some strong words for the election board, referring to local Republican leadership as “the axis of evil.” Sirinek contended that Mrozinski’s Constitutional rights were being violated. “If they want to take this argument up, they need to take it up to the citizens of La Porte County, not this board,” he said. “For them to deny his candidacy, for this board to deny his candidacy, is a violation as a matter of law.”

 

Board President Brody Shoffner noted that Mrozinski’s rights are intact since he can still run for office, just not as a Republican. Board member Teresa Massa agreed that recent case law supports the decision.

 

Sirinek suggested that Mrozinski would appeal. Candidates have until February 29th to appeal the election board’s decision. Or Mrozinski could choose to run as an Independent candidate in November.