(INDIANAPOLIS) – Due to necessary restrictions on large gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, today the Indiana Republican Party announced that the 2020 Indiana Republican State Convention will shift to a virtual format. This follows a unanimous vote by the Indiana Republican State Committee last month to approve temporary rules to allow for this convention structure.
“Not being able to conduct a traditional, in-person convention this year is sad news for me and for all Hoosier Republicans who look forward to charting the course for our Party of Purpose together,” said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indian Republican Party. “But the Indiana Republican State Committee’s top priority every step of the way has been making sure that our delegates select our party’s nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general – and this is the only move that can ensure that will happen.”
In order to provide delegates and all Hoosiers with access to all major components of an in-person convention, the convention will be livestreamed and broadcast live by WISH-TV and its statewide news partners on June 18 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. This will include speeches from each attorney general candidate, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and a keynote address from Governor Eric Holcomb.
Voting will be conducted by mail, with delegates receiving ballots around June 22, which will then be returned to an independent accounting firm by July 9. Ballots will be counted on July 10, with the option for each candidate to have watchers in the room.
The voting process will maintain the cornerstone of a convention race, requiring a winning candidate to receive at least 50% plus one of all voters cast. Delegates will indicate their top choice on the ballot, and then have the option to rank the remaining candidates. If a candidate does not receive at least 50% plus 1 of all votes cast, then the candidate with the lowest vote total will the dropped. Delegates who selected the dropped candidate will have their ballot cast for their second choice (if a second choice was selected).
“The Republican State Committee waited as long as we could to make this decision and considered many alternatives,” said Hupfer. “However, this was the only option – with the uncertainty of future restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic – that provided certainty that our delegates would be able to vote for our party’s nominees.”
