Indiana Candidates Refile Documents Due to Notary Issues
Feb. 2026
Some candidates for public office in Indiana will, or already have, updated documents to be properly notarized.
That is the word from the Secretary of State’s office.
Here are the basics. Candidates filed with properly notarized documents. But, they made amendments to the filing that were not properly notarized. This has lead to some candidates having to have amendments properly notarized.
Would It End In Court?
Yes, probably.
Advocates have called into question whether the opponent’s challenge of a candidate’s documents would be valid. The law is rigid, in that it requires the notarizations, but it also has a lot of leeway for the Secretary of State’s office to accept documents they believe to be valid.
In any case, the Secretary of State’s office said they followed all procedures. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales’s office had a response to the issue:
Candidates should be assured that the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office takes every precaution necessary to guarantee candidate filing paperwork is completed according to Indiana law,” Morales said in the statement. “As Indiana’s chief election officer, I will continue serving Hoosiers and not allow misleading reports to discredit confidence in our state’s election process.
Completing the Process
As ballot seekers raced to complete paperwork, the biggest reason cited was not allowing their opponent to challenge.
One State Senator called it annoying.
Still, others came to re-file with a more positive spirit.
Late filers had an advantage.
Two days before the deadline, and new paperwork was still rolling in. But, most of these candidates had heard of the fuss and properly notarized all of their documents before submitting their paperwork.
A state Senator remarked that people have to ensure that everything is done diligently and properly.
To Wrap Up
The Secretary of State’s office kerfuffle looks to have been solved by following the law to the letter. Legal challenges to candidates’ filing status should be averted.
But, the Secretary of State’s office points to a previous law challenge that complicated the situation for some, specifically in Lake County. Lake County requires all potential candidates to apply in person at the county office.
Staff used to be able to notarize documents in the building, but an office move led to a lawsuit. It alleged that county personnel that are notaries should not be able to notarize documents.
It did not succeed, but the office went through some confusion during the lawsuit. The court ended up ruling in favor of the Lake County Clerk’s Office.
For their part, the Lake County Clerk’s Office has moved to avert any confusion. It has been conveyed to employees that they may also become notaries. They already have half a dozen on staff.
Hey, we’re always for documents being signed correctly. So, we don’t see how this ended in any other outcome ended in “Use a Notary”!
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