Montgomery County drew national attention Tuesday night as it became the last county in Indiana to report primary election results, prompting questions about delays and a lack of updates throughout the evening.
During live coverage, NBC national political correspondent Steve Kornacki noted Montgomery County was the only county that had not submitted any ballot results at the time, repeatedly highlighting its absence as key races remained undecided.
“You’re waiting on Montgomery County and that’s what’s going to decide this,” Kornacki said, referring to the Republican primary contest between State Sen. Spencer Deery and challenger Paula Copenhaver. At the end of a four-hour segment, results from the county had still not been reported.
Montgomery County ultimately released its results shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, making it the final county in the state to do so. The county also did not provide incremental vote updates as precincts reported throughout the night.
The election marked the first for newly elected County Clerk Sondra Sixberry.
In a statement, Sixberry said the election process went smoothly from the county’s perspective, crediting poll workers for their efforts and saying results were uploaded to the state portal before the deadline. She said she was not aware of any delays, despite Montgomery County being the last in the state to report results and providing no updates throughout the evening.
Follow-up questions regarding the lack of updates during the night and the timing of the final precinct results were not immediately answered. Officials said during election night they were waiting on the final polling site to arrive with ballots. The last polling site did not deliver its ballots to the courthouse until two hours after polls closed at 6 p.m.
The delay drew additional scrutiny because of the closely watched Deery-Copenhaver race, one of several Republican primaries influenced by challenges to incumbents who opposed redistricting efforts. Deery was among 21 GOP state senators who voted against redistricting, drawing a Trump-backed challenger in Copenhaver.
Statewide, several incumbent Republicans were unseated in similar contests, with most challengers prevailing. The outcome in Montgomery County played a role in determining the final result in the Deery race, which remained too close to call until late in the evening.
