Greg Ballard, the former Republican mayor of Indianapolis who’s running for secretary of state on the Lincoln Party ticket, has gathered enough signatures to get on the ballot, his campaign announced June 20.
The announcement comes on the heels of the GOP convention, where delegates chose Max Engling as their nominee in the race. Ballard said he had gathered 52,500 signatures in a statement.
“It didn’t matter who the Republicans nominated today,” Ballard said. “There are more independents in Indiana than Republicans or Democrats, and this November they will finally have a true independent to vote for.”
At least 37,000 of those signatures must be validated for Ballard to be on the ballot. This week, 10 signatures collected by an individual on behalf of Ballard were found to be fraudulent. Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Mario Massillamany suggested there may be more false signatures across counties. The process to verify signatures may take up to a few days.
Ballard formed the Lincoln Party in March as a way to create ballot spaces for future candidates. If at least 37,000 signatures are verified and Ballard wins at least 2% of the vote in November’s general election, other candidates can run as Lincoln Party without reaching the petition threshold.
Compared with other candidates, Ballard has shared a few of his goals if in office. One of his top priorities is to create a statewide voter guide to provide information on positions and candidates.
Lucy Tobier is the politics reporting intern for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at ltobier@gannett.com or on X at @TobierLucy
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Greg Ballard campaign says he has the signatures for secretary of state run
Reporting by Marissa Meador and Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Meador and Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
