Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Indivisible NWI are trading barbs about the latter group’s presence at a “nonpartisan” get-out-the-vote event sponsored by the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Office.
Lake County held a “Behind the Ballot” event on March 14, aimed at allowing the public a chance to discover important information about the voting and registration processes, as well as the many services the LCBER provides.
The free event also allowed for local civic groups to set up tables with fliers to provide information on their non-partisan services. One of the groups that set up a table was Indivisible NWI, a nonpartisan group focused on voter registration and education.
In a Facebook post with pictures of the Indivisible NWI table at the event, Beckwith said when conservative groups came to the event and asked to participate “to simply table and engage voters,” they were told “there’s no room.” He didn’t elaborate on which conservative groups came to the event.
LCBER Director Michelle Fajman clarified that office officials reached out to about 27 groups or organizations to potentially set up information tables when planning the event.
The event could accommodate a maximum of 10 tables, Fajman said, and 10 organizations signed up to set up the tables. On the morning of the event, Fajman said a man with Turning Point USA came and asked for a table, but no tables were available.
When one organization canceled its table later that day, its table was used in a different portion of the event, Fajman said. Further, people heard the man speaking politically in the hallway, which wasn’t the purpose of the event, she said.
“To stop what we were doing to accommodate a group that didn’t reach out to us in a timely manner wasn’t possible,” Fajman said.
Meanwhile, Beckwith said Indiana Democrats “have been clutching their pearls” about Gov. Mike Braun’s administration partnering with Turning Point USA’s Club America to set up clubs at high schools around the state. In addition, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales has promoted a partnership with TPUSA to host voter registration drives and recruit poll workers at high schools.
“They’re perfectly fine using government to shape culture … as long as it’s THEIR culture,” Beckwith said. “But the moment conservatives wake up … The moment we start engaging … organizing … and yes, even fighting fire with fire … suddenly it’s a problem.”
Beckwith then went on to share “the truth” about how conservatives are “done playing defense,” “done pretending the other side is neutral,” and “done letting them monopolize our institutions while we sit quietly on the sidelines.”
“If they want a battle of ideas … fine. But we’re not bringing a water pistol to a five-alarm fire anymore,” Beckwith said. “Because the American people deserve a system that’s actually fair, not one rigged behind the scenes by those who pretend to be ‘nonpartisan’ while pushing a radical agenda.”
Indivisible NWI issued a statement stating the organization “is not an arm of any political party and never has been.”
“We have always done voter registration in a totally non-partisan manner and will continue to do so,” according to the statement. “The literature we give to attendees is information on civic education and voter registration.”
At the LCBER event, the organization offered information about the upcoming No Kings protest for those interested. The No Kings protest isn’t affiliated with a specific political party and is open for anyone to attend, according to the statement.
“The No Kings movement is made up of people of all kinds across the United States who have decided to protest against a tyrannical government, against a growing authoritarian government using the tools of voter suppression. This is not political. There is no litmus test, no party affiliation requirements to join a No Kings protest. It was simply there for anyone interested in attending,” according to the statement.
When Indivisible NWI sets up voter registration and civic education tables at various events, chapter president Kim Eldridge said people typically come up in a friendly demeanor, ask a question or two, and move on to the next table.
Eldridge said she didn’t attend the LCBER event, but that the members at the table told her that a person approached the table with negative intentions.
“It wasn’t a person who normally comes up to ask questions. It was a person just being adversarial,” Eldridge said. “Someone came to the table with an agenda and wanted to take pictures and make something out of nothing.”
The organization doesn’t allow political literature on voter registration tables, Eldridge said. No Kings isn’t affiliated with a political party, she said.
“It’s not a Democratic party thing. There are people of all stripes that go to these things,” Eldridge said.
Fajman said she and office officials discussed many topics at the event, from voting machines to new election laws. The office has received many compliments about the event, Fajman said, and she’s hopeful that election offices in other parts of the state will hold similar events.
“It’s a shame that (Beckwith) is throwing stones when we’re being very innovative,” Fajman said.
