Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White
www.in.gov
(Noblesville, Ind.) - Charlie White is now the former Secretary of State in Indiana after being convicted of voter fraud and five other felony charges.
White spoke out after the conviction was handed down shortly after 2:00 a.m. Saturday in a Hamilton County, Indiana courtroom.
“I’m disappointed with the decision. I’m disappointed for my family and the people who supported me,” White told reporters.
After closing arguments ended Friday afternoon, the jurors deliberated for about 12 hours, eventually returning with convictions on six of the seven counts White faced.
When he registered to vote in the May 2010 primary, White used his ex-wife’s address instead of a townhome he was allegedly living in. Prosecutors argued that White used the old address on his registration because he was a member of the Fishers Town Council and the townhome was outside the district he represented.
The charges arose after White handily defeated Democrat Vop Osili in the November 2010 general election.
“We believed this case was about somebody that violated the law that had knowledge of the system, and gamed the system. Obviously, the jury believed the same thing,” Hamilton County Special Prosecutor John Dowd said following a successful conviction.
Governor Mitch Daniels appointed chief deputy Secretary of State Jerry Bonnet as interim secretary, as the felony convictions removed White from the office by law.
“I have chosen not to make a permanent appointment today out of respect for the judge’s authority to lessen the verdict to a misdemeanor and reinstate the elected office holder,” Daniels said. “If the felony convictions are not altered, I anticipate making a permanent appointment quickly.”
Daniels’ move to insert Bonnet did not draw favor with Democrats.
“It’s obvious that Mitch Daniels will try anything to take back this fraudulent election, but there’s only one thing that should happen now: Vop Osili should become Secretary of State, and we should put the embarrassment that is Charlie White behind us,” said Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker in a statement.
Democrats will be asking a judge this week to install their 2010 candidate, Vop Osili, as Secretary of State. White beat Osili in 2010 by about 300,000 votes.
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