Republican state Sen. Chris Garten and Democratic challenger Nick Marshall are locked in a tight race for the state Senate’s top Republican position, with concerns raised about potential discrepancies in vote counts in Clark County. Preliminary results show Garten leading by 297 votes, or about ⅔ of a percentage point, with 21,815 votes to Marshall’s 21,520. Libertarian Larry Mahaney received 993 votes.
The Clark County Election Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday evening to count the physical ballots cast in four precincts that voted at Jeffersonville High School. The board’s meeting notice states that it will count only the number of physical ballots, without tallying votes for any candidate, office, or public question.
Clark County Democratic Chair Miguel Hampton raised concerns about reported issues with computer tablets used to check in voters, a ballot machine jamming, and possible procedural mistakes at the high school and other voting locations on Election Day. Hampton noted that the high school polling site is among the county’s busiest and is in a typically strong Democratic area.
Clark County Republican Chair Fannie Broxon stated that a ballot machine jammed at the high school voting site on Election Day and was replaced. She said the election board’s ballot count was intended to ensure a correct tally. “I don’t think it’s going to make one vote difference whenever they do that,” Broxon said. “I feel that it was handled appropriately and that that will come out Tuesday evening.”
Garten, who is seeking his third term representing Senate District 45, said in a written statement that he had “confidence in our election officials, confidence in the integrity of the process.” He referred to the ballot doubts as “politically motivated speculation.”
The Senate is expected to vote during its Nov. 17 Organization Day on formally electing Garten as president pro tem. He would replace Sen. Rodric Bray, who decided to step down after drawing the wrath of President Donald Trump over his opposition to last year’s proposed congressional redistricting.
