Ruling Paves The Way For Daniels To Appoint Sec. Of State

Photo: Courtesy of www.in.gov

Secretary of State Charlie White could be forced out of office if convicted on charges of theft and voter fraud.

The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that Secretary of State Charlie White was a legal candidate for office. The ruling means Governor Mitch Daniels will appoint a successor for White, who was removed from office last month after being convicted of voter fraud.

At issue was a court order mandating that the state recount commission certify Democratic runner-up Vop Osili the winner of the 2010 election because White‘s candidacy was invalid.  Democrats say White was never eligible to run for office because he listed his ex-wife‘s address instead of his new condo on his voter registration form to avoid giving up his Fishers town council salary after moving out of the district.

In a statement, Governor Mitch Daniels wrote, “We appreciate the court’s swift action and clarification of the law. Now that the duty to select a new Secretary of State is certain, we’ll do so with promptness.”