EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Vanderburgh County Clerk — Carla Hayden — is speaking to Eyewitness News about incidents with voters that she identifies as harassment.
The messages are pushing her to resign from her office before her term is up.
“It’s hard to explain — relentless accusations that in some way — some form or fashion — that the way we’re handling elections is not correct,” Hayden says.
In Vanderburgh County, Eyewitness News is told some voters — and so-called “election deniers” from 2020 — are continuing to push Hayden.
“It is letters. It is people coming into the office. It’s phone calls. It’s things like that,” Hayden says.
They are all actions which have pushed Hayden to step away from her office. She anticipates to leave by August.
“I’ve had people who are not happy that we don’t hand-count ballots; people who are not happy that we don’t use paper ballots only,” Hayden says. “We do use paper ballots, but we don’t use the type of paper ballot they want us to use.”
Some voters are wanting Hayden to release what’s called a “cast vote record.”
“I can’t produce this document even if I wanted to, because I just don’t have the ability to do so,” Hayden says. “We have some people who aren’t happy with the laws the way they are.”
We contacted Henderson County Clerk — Renesa Abner — and Posey County Clerk — Kay Kilgore — about their thoughts.
They both tell Eyewitness News they haven’t received threats, and Dubois County Clerk — Amy Kippenbrock — is in the same boat.
“I can honestly say I haven’t felt it personally,” Kippenbrock says. “I haven’t seen it with my staff. I have a very good relationship with all of our poll workers here in Dubois County, and I don’t feel like they have expressed any of those things to me.”
As for next steps, Eyewitness News is told the Republican Party will caucus to find a find a replacement to finish Hayden’s term.
Hayden says she will retire after leaving public office.
“I have to leave at the end of the year. I’m term limited,” Hayden says. “I’m on my second term, and that’s as much as a person can serve consecutively. I don’t think those last four months were worth it with the climate going on right now.”
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