By Anna Cecil
Independent secretary of state candidate Greg Ballard spoke at the Statehouse Tuesday before submitting more than 40,000 county clerk-verified voter signatures, sealing his spot on the November ballot. He not only exceeded the 36,943-signature requirement by more than 4,000 but also raised more money since April than any of the other three candidates.
Ballard told reporters he is not concerned any signatures will be overturned by Secretary of State Diego Morales’ election division, which now has custody of the petitions.
Ballard, who is running as a member of the newly formed Lincoln Party, emphasized Tuesday that he is neither funded by other politicians nor owned by a party. Instead, he said he will use his platform to serve voters, not “insiders” from within the “establishment.”
Ballard will face Republican candidate Max Engling, who is backed by U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, and Democratic candidate Beau Bayh, the son of former Gov. Evan Bayh and grandson of former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh.
“For too long, our government has been conducted behind closed doors by the same insiders, the same parties and the same rules written to protect the same people. They continue to treat our elections like a private club and then hand Hoosier taxpayers the bill,” Ballard said. “We have politicians who fight to empower our parties. What Hoosiers really want is accountability, honesty and results.”
Ballard said he did not run just to get on the ballot but to open the door for more independent candidates to get a shot at office. If he receives more than 2% of the vote in November, the Lincoln Party will become an officially recognized political party in Indiana, allowing future candidates to run under its banner without first meeting signature-petition requirements.
“This campaign, however, is not just about me. It is about a movement,” he said. “It is about opening the door for more good candidates around Indiana. Candidates with good judgment and character. Candidates with courage. Candidates who can win and who want to serve voters instead of parties.”
Kathy Heath, of Indianapolis, was at the Statehouse Tuesday to support Ballard after serving as a signature petitioner for his campaign. She said she knocked on doors in her neighborhood, and the people who answered were typically eager to sign the petition.
Heath said she has always voted based on candidates and their character, not political parties. She said the two-party system is not working.
“I just feel it’s really important to have other options,” she said. “So many people I talked to, in the last election in particular, didn’t want to vote for the Democrat or the Republican.”
In this year’s secretary of state race, that sentiment rings true for Justin Wittmer-Mikesell, a Ripley County Republican who said he does not want to vote for Engling or Bayh and has been disappointed by Morales’ leadership.
“I’m not blind to the corruption of Diego Morales. … Max Engling hasn’t proven to me that he will be any different,” Wittmer-Mikesell said. “Ballard is the perfect option to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m not liking what the Republicans are giving me, but I don’t have to go to the Democrats, either.’ There’s a guy right in the middle, who is like, ‘I don’t care what the party wants. I’m going to do what’s best for the voters in Indiana.’”
This article originally appeared in State Affairs.