The Grant County Democratic Party is preparing to follow the process laid out in Indiana law to fill the District 5 vacancy on the Marion City Council after the passing of Councilman Don Batchelor.
Because Councilman Batchelor was elected as a Democrat, the responsibility of filling the position falls to the Grant County Democratic Party. The process, which is clearly laid out in Indiana Code and in Indiana Democratic Party rules, must be completed within 30 days.
The Chair of the Grant County Democratic Party, along with the other Party officers, have set the caucus of precinct committee people that will select who will fill the District 5 vacancy for Oct. 3, 2021. Full details have been provided to the PCs. The person selected will serve the remainder of Councilman Batchelor’s term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2023.
“Councilman Batchelor served our community well, and we are grateful for his lifetime of service and leadership,” said Grant County Democratic Party Chair Terry Stodghill. “We know that replacing him won’t be easy, but we hope that an enthusiastic, eligible candidate will step forward to serve out his term.”
Anyone who wishes to be considered as a candidate for appointment at the caucus should email their statement of interest to Chair Terry Stodghill at grantco.in.dems@gmail.com. Statements of interest must be received no later than 2 p.m. Sept. 29 (which is 72 hours before the caucus).
Candidacy requirements are the same as they would be in a regular election, including:
Must be registered to vote in District 5 not later than the deadline for declaring candidacy (2 p.m. Sept. 27).
Must have lived within the City of Marion for at least a year prior to the date of the caucus, and within District 5 for at least 6 months prior to the date of the caucus (Oct. 3).
Must have no past felony conviction on their record.
Must be a member of the Democratic Party as determined by the following:
In the Primary Election in which they most recently voted, they participated in the Democratic Party Primary (requested a Democratic ballot). ~or~
The Chair of the Grant County Democratic Party certifies that the person is a Democrat.
Anyone who is potentially interested is welcome to email grantco.in.dems@gmail.com (the Party's email address) to discuss further.