Judge rules St. Joseph County election system violates Indiana Constitution

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- A judge has ruled that St. Joseph County’s method of electing county commissioners violates the Indiana Constitution’s guarantee of “free and equal” elections, raising the possibility of changes after the current election cycle.

Currently, St. Joseph County voters elect one commissioner based on geographic districts tied to their voter registration. That system means each voter helps choose only one of the county’s three commissioners.

“What the judge said is that Indiana voters who live in St. Joseph County don’t have equal power to those who live in counties where these commissioners are elected at large,” said Elizabeth Bennion, a political science professor at Indiana University South Bend.

Under an at-large system, voters would cast ballots for all three commissioners, giving them a voice in the full makeup of the county’s executive leadership.

“What happens is that you get to have a voice in who all of your commissioners are, "Bennion said. “Whereas here in St. Joe, you were only able to elect one out of three.”

The ruling could lead to a shift to at-large voting in a future election cycle, though no changes are expected for the current primaries, as early voting is already underway.

St. Joseph County is one of only three Indiana counties — along with Lake and Marion — that elect commissioners by district rather than at-large.

The district-based system dates back to the 1970s, when lawmakers sought to address concerns that growing urban populations could dominate county governments. Those counties also have some of the state’s largest and most diverse populations.

The recent legal challenge follows disputes over redistricting, including concerns that district boundaries may have been drawn to favor one political party.

“When we look at the way this works out in practice, there were concerns that what was happening was sort of a guaranteed control for one party over the other,” Bennion said.

The ruling could still be appealed before the next full election cycle. There is currently no similar litigation pending against Lake or Marion counties.