On Wednesday June 24, Greg Ballard visited the Central Branch of the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) for a listening session in an upstairs meeting room.
Ballard was the Republican Mayor of Indianapolis from 2008 to 2015. Now, "independent" is the name of the election game.
"I will not be fundraising for anybody, I will not donate to anybody, I will make it an independent office once I get in there, and I hope that becomes the standard for future secretaries of state," he said.
At the listening session, Ballard said he supports independent redistricting commissions, open primary elections and shrugging off outside political pressure as Secretary of State.
Ballard is nearing the end of his signature drive. As an independent candidate, he needs 37,000 verifiable signatures by July to be on the ballot. He has 64,000 currently.
He needs extra signatures because some will likely be voided for various reasons. He received some more at the listening session. If his campaign is successful he hopes to run under his new Lincoln Party label on the ballot.
"So that people like me — practical problem-solving people who want to serve the public, don't have to go through the signature requirement anymore," he said. "They can run through the Lincoln Party and provide more choice for voters in the future."
Ballard is also a retired Marine Corps officer with a 23 military career.
His campaign signatures are due by June 30th — his campaign has been sending them back for verifications since May. By July 15, his signatures need to be verified.
His campaign office is in discussions for him to join a debate with Republican and Democratic Secretary of State candidates.
"I want to change the tenor of the office," he said. "I want to restore dignity to the office, I want it to be independent."
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