Brad King, the Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, has determined that state election officials are not with authority to decide legislative district boundaries after a candidate has been duly elected and, therefore, cannot decide the issue of Rep. Ed Soliday's residency in the 4th District. King tells the Northwest Indiana Times the Election Division could have decided the matter if the issue had been raised while Soliday was still a candidate. "The role of the election division regarding officeholders is limited to the ceremonial tasks of issuing certificates of election and commissions once the election process is completed," King said. King's Democratic counterpart, Pam Potesta, disagrees with his position.
King's decision means the Election Division will not decide the matter and the state's Democrats, who first raised the issue this past week, will have to take the issue to court. I would add, however, that the House has the ultimate authority on who it seats as a member in that body. Democrats may be playing with fire, however, if they decide to take it that far. Republicans in the House could stage a walkout in protest, bringing the House's business to a complete halt. Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker suggests the Democrats are prepared to take the matter to court according to the Northwest Indiana Times story.
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