Nov. 6, 1930: COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 6, 1930.

COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE

To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken

RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Members of the Porter county election board are scheduled to meet this afternoon at the courthouse to canvass the vote for candidates on the various tickets at Tuesday’s election.

The board will go over the tally books to ascertain whether the right computations have been made, and will compile the totals of the candidates for certification to the secretary of state. The work is expected to be completed sometime tomorrow. 

Members of the election board comprise: Mae R. London, county clerk; Owen L. Crumpacker, republican, and Joseph L. Doyle democrat.

Whether Mrs. London, who was defeated by Mr. Doyle for re-election will demand a recount of the vote will be determined following the canvass of the vote.

According to the vote returns, Mrs. London was apparently defeated by Mr. Doyle by 63 votes, although another tabulation gives only 62.

A difference of one or more votes in each of the 41 precincts of the county in favor of Mrs. London might turn the outcome around and result in her re-election, her supporters point out.

A cursory examination of the envelopes containing the mutilated ballots and those not counted by the election boards throughout the county reveals that few of the boards designated the number of such ballots so as to give a live on how many were rejected. Whether this number is great enough to warrant a recount would depend largely on the feasibility of such a move.

If the canvass shows no decided change, and the number of uncounted ballots are insufficient to change the result, then a recount would prove of little value as far as Mrs. London’s aspirations for retaining her office is concerned.

The only times when recounts were asked in history of Porter county politics were in 1928 when William W. Bozarth, Valparaiso, present prosecutor, and Clarence D. Wood, Chesterton, former prosecutor, staged a thrilling race which showed Bozarth had been nominated in the republican primary by eleven votes, and in 1892 when Heber Stoddard republican, defeated Joseph Sego, democrat, by three votes. In the latter case Stoddard won out by 5 votes in a recount before Judge John GIllett, which was later affirmed when an appeal was taken to the supreme court.

In the case of Bozarth and Wood, the former was declared the nomine after Wood had been adjudged a winner by 3 votes in the recount that followed.

In a contest before the Porter county commissioners Wood’s right to have his name placed on the ticket was upheld. Bozarth then appealed from the ruling to the Porter Superior court.

It was Wood’s contention that a number of students in the College hill ward had voted without right and all had voted for Bozarth.

In the hearing before Judge H.L. Crumpacker, a number of ballots ruled out as mutilated were declared regular.

After making deductions for the votes cast by students for Bozarth, where it was clearly established they were not residents of the city, the court found that Bozarth was the winner by 5 votes.

Nov. 4, 1950: 16,000 Are Expected To Cast Ballots

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 4, 1950.

16,000 Are Expected To Cast Ballots

Porter county voters will go to the polls next Tuesday for one of the most feverish, important and crucial “off year” elections in the last 20 years of the nation’s history. More than 21,000 are registered to cast ballots, but only about 16,000 people are expected to vote.

Because of the many issues involved, international, national, state and local, this year’s runoff has assumed a heightened interest that eclipses any of past presidential campaigns. It has been both bitter and hard fought.

With stirring appeals of rival chieftains, business and civic leaders and organizations “ringing in their ears” it is expected that the voting duty will be heeded in greater fashion than in previous plebiscites.

Both Republican County Chairman Robert L. Bibler and Democratic County Chairman David Parry were equally confident that their parties would poll a substantial vote.

Portage Vote

Democrats are banking on a heavy vote in Portage township which has a large labor population employed in the Calumet district. The township has shown an abnormally large increase in population within the last few years.

Estimates on the size of the vote Tuesday vary considerably but political observers generally believe the total number of ballots to be cast will be near 16,000, with it being admitted generally that the republican county ticket will poll a majority of the votes.

Preparations for the legal machinery which will handle voting Tuesday practically are completed. Today inspectors of the 44 voting precincts received their supplies from the election commissioners at the office of County Clerk Freeman Lane.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., giving voters 12 hours in which to cast their ballots. Every attempt will be made to get a heavy early vote to prevent any jamming at the polling places during the final hours of the day.

State candidates on whom voters will ballot Tuesday include a United States senator, secretary of state, auditor of state, auditor, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, clerk of the supreme and appellate courts, judge of supreme court, first district; judge of supreme court, third district; judge supreme court, fifth district; two judges of appellate court, first district; two judges appellate court, second district. Also to be elected are one representative in congress; judge of the Porter circuit court; prosecutor of the 67th judicial district; one joint senator; one joint representative; clerk of the Porter circuit court, county auditor, county treasurer; county recorder, county coroner, county surveyor, county assessor, county commissioner, second district; county commissioner, third district; four county councilmen, first, second, third and fourth districts; three county councilmen-at-large.

In the twelve townships of the county, trustees, justices of the peace, constables and advisory board members are to be selected.

Every effort is being made to get out the vote. In Valparaiso a joint committee of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce and Valparaiso Junior Chamber of commerce has arranged to provide cars to haul the voters to the polls and also have provided for baby sitters where mothers have young children and cannot leave them.

Democrats closed their campaign in the county Friday night in the democratic headquarters, Lincolnway and Michigan, with a pre-election rally. Atty. Henry Sackett, of Gary, democratic nominee for judge of the supreme court, fifth district, was the main speaker.

New faces will be seen on precinct election boards in a number of Porter county districts next Tuesday. A number of changes have been made in inspectors, who will all be republican, and also among clerks, judges and sheriffs.

AN UNUSUAL STUNT in the Jaycees’ Get-Out-the-Vote campaign was staged in the business district today to encourage citizens to go to the polls Tuesday. Here Jack Kain, sporting the latest thing in stripes with appropriate ball-and-chain accessories, is under the scrutiny of “Guard” Walt Wieggel. The sign: “I did not vote when I had the chance,” was expected to catch the eye. Jaycee officials also hope that would-be voters will catch the idea.

(Polaroid One-Minute Photo by The Vidette-Messenger)