Warrick GOP to Challenge Absentee Ballot

The Warrick County Republican Central Committee announced today that it intends to challenge at least one absentee ballot that has been returned to the Warrick County Clerk’s Office on the grounds that the voter in question, Ralph W. Brown, is not a bona fide resident of Warrick County. Article 2 of the Indiana Constitution, and the Indiana Election Code, require that a person be a resident of the precinct in which he or she is voting for thirty days immediately preceding the election. According to records obtained from the Warrick County Election Office, Brown filed an application for absentee ballot by facsimile with the Clerk’s Office on September 29th listing a mailing address in Yucatan, Mexico. Instructions were provided on the cover sheet to “please call Anthony Long on receipt to pay FedEx mailing fees.” On October 1st, the Warrick County Election Office sent an absentee ballot to Brown in Yucatan, Mexico via Federal Express. According to Federal Express, the account used to pay for that mailing was registered to S. Anthony Long, Attorney at Law, PC. Anthony Long is the Chairperson of the Indiana 8th District Democratic Party and Vice-chair of the Indiana Election Commission. That ballot was signed by Brown on October 9th and returned to the Election Office. According to voter registration records in the Warrick County Election Office, in January of 2005, Brown changed his residence address to 1533 Dogwood Lane, Boonville, Indiana. Coincidentally, that is also the residence address listed on the voter registration record of Anthony Long.