Ballard’s Lincoln Party bid could reduce signature burdens for Indiana independent candidates, altering campaign costs

Greg Ballard, who won Indianapolis mayoral races in 2007 and 2011 as a Republican, launched an independent campaign for secretary of state in March and soon identified with the newly formed Lincoln Party as a way to help independents bypass Indiana’s petition rules. State law requires certified petition signatures equal to 2% of the most recent secretary of state vote for statewide independent runs — nearly 37,000 signatures — a hurdle Ballard says the two major parties effectively designed to exclude rivals.

Nathan Gotsch, who founded Independent Indiana and is listed as the Lincoln Party chairman, helped recruit Ballard after polling showed competitive support. Ballard and Gotsch say they would be involved in selecting future Lincoln Party candidates. Critics, including Republican nominee Max Engling and former state Democratic Party chair Robin Winston, question the party’s ideology, transparency and candidate-selection plans; some local independents, such as DeKalb County’s ClaraMary Winebrenner, support the effort citing petition challenges.

BusinessIndy examines this development and its implications for Indiana businesses and communities using the linked sources.