Ex-Indiana governor: That's not my signature on Obama petition
 
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Associated Press 12:33 p.m. CDT, October 12, 2011
Former Gov. Joe Kernan says a signature on a petition to place Barack Obama's name on Indiana's 2008 primary ballot isn't his, putting him among dozens of dubious signatures found in a newspaper's investigation.
Kernan, a Democrat who campaigned for Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primary, told the South Bend Tribune that he didn't sign the Obama document.
"No, not at all," the former South Bend mayor said when asked whether the signature next to his name on the Obama petition looked like his own. "Nor does the printing look like mine."
The Tribune reported Wednesday that it has talked with more than 40 people who say they didn't sign ballot petitions submitted in St. Joseph County for Obama or Clinton, despite their names appearing on the documents.
State Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb has called for a federal investigation into the matter.
"How deep does this problem go?" Holcomb said. "Is it isolated to St. Joseph County, or was it a broader, coordinated effort across the state? ... Who forged the signatures and why?"
The Tribune first reported Sunday that it and the Howey Politics Indiana newsletter had found pages from Clinton and Obama petitions with names and signatures that appear to have been copied by hand from a petition for 2008 Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jim Schellinger. The petitions were filed with the Indiana Election Division after the St. Joseph County Voter Registration Office verified individuals' information on the documents.
The petitions were submitted in late January and early February 2008, weeks before it became apparent that Obama and Clinton would be hotly contesting Indiana's May primary in their tight race for the Democratic nomination. Clinton narrowly won the state, but Obama won many delegates in his successful drive for the nomination.
Indiana law requires candidates for president, senator and governor to submit ballot petitions signed by at least 500 registered voters in each of the state's nine congressional districts to qualify for the statewide primary ballot. The Tribune reported the investigation had only found questionable signatures among the St. Joseph County petitions.
County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak, a Democrat, has started an investigation into the faked signatures.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker said the petitions were submitted and approved through the normal process in a bipartisan county office and that he supports an investigation.
"Even an isolated instance of misconduct, by one individual among the hundreds of volunteers working to collect signatures for the candidates, should be thoroughly investigated, and we support such an inquiry," Parker said.
Holcomb said the questionable signatures raised "real questions" about the process and that he believed the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the matter.
"The integrity of every election is of the utmost importance," Holcomb said in a news release. |
