8-20-2022
Secretary Holli Sullivan
Office of the Indiana Secretary of State
200 W Washington St
Room 201
Indianapolis IN 46204
Secretary Sullivan:
I write concerning the election to be held this November. Although Indiana is a strongly Republican state, I am convinced that significant fraud occurred in the 2020 election. It does not appear in Indiana that fraud was to the level results were affected, but I have not looked at all the down ballot races. My concern is that I think Indiana will continue to use electronic machines in the coming election that are vulnerable to fraud.
I believe it to be in the best interest of honest elections to take lessons from the past. Indiana did not have extended periods of early voting. It allowed absentee voting in real need cases. It required voters to vote in their home precinct. It required actual written signatures on poll books. It required voter identification. And the results were tabulated at the precinct level; then forwarded to central county offices.
The reason I know this is I was in management of The Kokomo Tribune for over 20 years. When Election Day came, the newsroom of the newspaper became “Election Central”. Candidates from both parties would gather in the newsroom to await results. Representatives of other media like local radio stations were set up in the newsroom. At the precinct level, two copies of results were generated. One copy was brought by courier to the newspaper office and the other taken to the Clerk’s office for totaling.
There were NO electronic machines used. The voting was either done on paper ballots or with mechanical machines. There was no chance fraud could be introduced. The elections were honest.
Fraud came with electronic machines. Signatures on little electronic signature pads are a joke. The transmission of results over the Internet is ripe for fraud. And even allowing voters to vote anywhere over even weeks is ripe for fraud. And for sure, mail in ballots are the worst.
I realize the General Assembly took some action to tighten elections, but until we return to paper ballots, voter id, home precinct voting, election one day voting except in genuine need cases for absentee ballots, signature verification, and precinct tally of votes; I believe we are asking for continuing fraud. It must stop.
The problem is nationwide.
Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Kent H Blacklidge Ph.D.