The editorial team’s goal in creating this guide is to be a source of unbiased information regarding many of the races relevant on campus and around the University of Indianapolis, as well as the statewide races and Public Questions on the ballot. Below is a series of candidate profiles, each containing a short bio followed by a Q&A section. The interviews were conducted by The Reflector’s News Editor, Dallas Marshall.
National Races
Members of the House of Representatives represent the members of their district in Congress. They have many duties, including drafting and passing legislation at the Federal level.
Jefferson Shreve
Republican Party
Incumbent
Cynthia (Cinde) Wirth
Democratic Party
Challenger
Statewide Races
The Indiana Secretary of State is the third highest ranking office in the state. They are responsible for overseeing elections, granting new businesses their charters, and maintaining state records.
Max Engling
Republican Party
Beau Bayh
Democratic Party
Greg Ballard
Lincoln Party
Lauri A. Shillings
Libertarian Party
The Indiana State Comptroller (formerly known as the auditor) pays the state’s outstanding balances and manages state employee payroll. They are also responsible for maintaining the Indiana Transparency Portal, ensuring that taxpayers know how their money is being spent.
Elise Nieshalla
Republican Party
Incumbent
Jessica Bailey
Democratic Party
Challenger
John Schick
Libertarian Party
Challenger
The Indiana State Treasurer invests the state’s funds and manages their assets. They also distribute revenue to local units of government.
Indiana House of Representatives Races
Members of the Indiana House of Representatives represent us at the state level. There are 100 members of the Indiana House of Representatives and they serve two year terms. Their main responsibility is drafting and voting on legislation at the state level.
Public Questions
Public questions are proposed amendments to the Indiana Constitution. They are asked in a “yes” or “no” fashion. Choosing “no” means you are voting against the change to the state Constitution.
Currently, Indiana’s Constitution prevents judges from denying bail to anyone unless they have been charged with murder or treason. Public Question #1 is asking if you would like to change this provision so that judges can deny bail to an individual charged with a crime other than treason or murder if there is proof or a strong presumption that releasing the individual while they await trial will put the public at risk.
Currently, city and town judges must live within the city or town that the court they preside over is located in. Public Question #2 is asking if you would like to allow judges to live anywhere within the county, town or city the court is in and/or within the closest adjacent county.
To find coverage of county, township and school board races, please refer to Mirror Indy’s Election guide.
