By Matt Getts
News Sun

KENDALLVILLE — Let’s try this again — Targgart vs. Stanley II.

Noble Circuit Court Judge Michael Kramer issued an order the week of May 22 calling for a special election to be held Aug. 1 to determine whether incumbent Shari Targgart or challenger Ron Stanley should represent the Republican Party on the November ballet for Kendallville City Council Second District.

The special election was deemed necessary after voter rolls were not properly updated before the May primary following redistricting, which was approved by the city last September, court documents say.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug.1.

Kramer also ordered that early balloting be an option “so as to give voters in the special election the same opportunities to vote as were given for the May 2023 primary.”

In the May 2 primary, Targgart appeared to have defeated Stanley, 40-34.

No Democrats filed to contest the seat in time for the primary.

Stanley filed suit May 12, contesting the results.

A hearing on the matter had been set for June 5, but both parties agreed a special election was warranted.

In his writ of election, Kramer said, “The (special) election is required because of errors set forth in the joint stipulation.”

Joint stipulation was signed by both Targgart, Stanley and their respective attorneys.

General Ordinance 1250, a redistricting of Kendallville’s council seats, was approved by the Kendallville City Council on Sept. 20, 2022.

According to court documents, the Noble County Clerk’s Office received the changed on Sept. 23, 2022. The Second District in Kendallville is roughly bounded by Drake Road to the south and Main Street to the east, then all of the area North of U.S. 6 from Riley Road to the western city limits.

General Ordinance 1250 did not contain language that directly spelled out he boundaries of the district in text form, but referenced a map that was sent to the county as an attachment of the ordinance, with precincts differentiated by colors.

According to the Indiana Elections Commission, the changes to voter rolls based on that redistricting had to be made by Nov. 1, 2022, with allowances for a second deadline of Jan. 31, 2023. That additional deadline is to be reserved for critical changes.

The stipulation states, “The Noble County Clerk’s Office failed to complete these changes prior to Nov. 1, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023.”

The stipulation said that 1,002 voter records had to be updated by the clerk’s office. Only 42 changed were made prior to the May primary.

Because of this, the stipulation reads:

Some voters residing outside of the Second District were permitted to vote in the Second District race; and some voters residing within the Second District were not permitted to vote in the Second District race.

The stipulation states that “a minimum of eight voter records were affected either by incorrectly entered information or a malfunction in the Microvote machines, not including a number of voters that were turned away die to these incorrect voter records.”

Noble County Clerk Tammy Bremer was out of the office June 1 and unavailable for comment.

It is not known how much the special election will cost.