MORGAN COUNTY — Fending off a strong challenge from his Libertarian opponent, Republican Jerry Smith prevailed in the race for Morgan County Superior Court 1 judge on Tuesday’s Election Day.
Smith will replace current Superior Court Judge Dakota VanLeeuwen, whom he previously defeated in May’s Republican primary election.
After winning the primary, Smith initially looked as if he would coast through the general election unchallenged, as the Democratic Party did not field any candidates to run against him.
But then came Jarrett Ksenak, who joined the Libertarian Party ticket in June. Ksenak decided to run after VanLeeuwen was defeated in the primary election, Ksenak previously told The Correspondent.
Ksenak ran on a platform of experience, similar to the platform VanLeeuwen used before the May primary. Both candidates argued that Smith was not experienced enough in law to take on the job.
Morgan County Republican Party chair Carole Snyder has said multiple times that if voters wanted experience, they would have chosen VanLeeuwen in May.
Voters made their choice clear again on Tuesday, and come January, Smith will begin getting accustomed to hearing “Your honor.”
Exit Polling
Lines to vote were out the door and into parking lots across Morgan County on Tuesday, as local residents gathered in the thousands at 14 different polling locations to make their voices heard.
A number of competitive races were on the ballots at the local level, from the heated judge’s race to school board battles, but it seemed national issues were top of mind for many voters who spoke to The Correspondent on Election Day.
“I am a Trump supporter and (I support) the Trump agenda,” said Martinsville resident Roger Goodnow. “And he needs all his lieutenants in place to make that happen.”
When asked about their political views, many voters pointed to national trends they liked or disliked, and several alluded to issues and candidates that were running in other states.
One Monrovia man said he wasn’t interested in any particular races, but came out to vote straight-ticket Republican.
“I’m keeping the communists out, and the Republicans in,” he said.
“I didn’t vote for Islam, or socialism,” said a Martinsville man after he voted at the Morgan County Administration Building.
No one on the local ballot identifies as a Muslim or a socialist, but some candidates in other states do.
For some voters, their biggest priority was making changes at schools, particularly when it comes to religion, with several voters expressing a desire to see Christianity taught in public schools.
One Mooresville man voting at Mt. Gilead Christian Church said he was voting straight-ticket Republican because he thought the Republicans were better at disciplining children than Democrats.
“I don’t like all the things that Democrats are doing,” he said. “The kids are out of control. That’s why we have all these school shootings.”
A Martinsville woman voted straight-Republican largely for the same reason, saying that we needed to “get God back in schools.”
“I want people that are for Jesus,” she said. “And no abortion.”
The woman also added a comment about immigration, a hot-button issue at the national level, saying that “people needed to be legal.”
Some voters did have thoughts about state and local issues, especially when it came to the close Secretary of State and Superior Court 1 races, as well the constitutional amendments on the ballot.
“I want to make sure we’re staying on track,” said Monrovia resident Denise Haggard. “I hope Indiana keeps a conservative line.”
Haggard said the Secretary of State race was the one most important to her, and at the local level, she said she was concerned about Google’s data center campus currently under construction in Monroe Township.
“Utility costs need to be absorbed by the owners of data centers,” Haggard said.
Another Monrovia resident concurred.
“The data center has gotten me a lot more into local politics than ever before,” she said. “I used to only vote in presidential elections.”
She added that the judge’s race between Republican Jerry Smith and Libertarian Jarrett Ksenak was also important to her.
Martinsville resident Emily Guillermo said the Secretary of State race was the race that most captured her attention. She said she used to live in Indianapolis, and personally benefitted from a previously elected official there, possibly referring to former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard who ran for Secretary of State on his own Lincoln Party ticket.
Other voters said their main reason for coming out was to have a say on changes to Indiana’s Constitution. Voters were faced with two possible amendments on Tuesday, both concerned judges.
One of the amendments would give judges the discretion to deny bail to people charged with crimes other than murder or treason. The Constitution currently only allows judges to deny bail when “the proof is evident or the presumption (is) strong” that the accused committed murder or treason.
The other amendment asks voters if the Constitution should be changed to allow city or town court judges to reside in either the county where the court is located or the bordering county that is closest to the town or city in which the court is located.
The former amendment drew the most attention in the leadup to the primary, with proponents arguing that the amendment would help law enforcement keep communities safer, and opponents arguing that the amendment would disproportionately affect the poor and people of color.
The debate over the amendment trickled down to Morgan County.
Goodnow said he voted for the amendment because “law and order” is important to him.
One Mooresville resident said she was voting against the amendment.
“(The amendment) is too much government control,” she said, adding that she was concerned judges would abuse the new discretionary powers.
While most voters expressed strictly partisan views, other voters still believe in good ol’ fashioned bipartisanship.
Spencer Skaggs, a young Martinsville resident who came out to vote with his mom, said he had previously either been too young to vote, or away at college, but was now able to cast a ballot in Morgan County.
“It’s finally my time,” he said.
Skaggs said he liked his elected officials to have a mixture of views, and he emphasized that he did not vote straight-ticket.
“In this county, it’s harder to achieve a mixed bag,” he said, referring to his desire to see a diversity of views in elected office. “I’d like a little splash of representation.”
