County Resident Calls For Clerk To Resign Or Promises Litigation

A Crawford County resident who was one of 36 voters swapped from District 1 to District 2 is calling for Clerk John Martin to resign or she will sue the county.

Annette Burdett addressed county commissioners on Sept. 24 over the confusion that marred the Aug. 6 primary. The 139 voters who reside in Liberty-Liberty, a voting precinct in the Liberty Township, were moved from District 1 to District 2 with the passage of an ordinance in 2022. Voters, including Burdett, said they were unaware they had been swapped.

Burdett said she emailed Martin and Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney David Smith on Sept. 20. She is calling for Smith to file for Martin’s removal or have Attorney General Andrew Bailey file “for violation of state statutes.”

If Martin does not resign, Burdett said she has the time and resources “to fight it to the end.” 

Burdett said the other option would be to call for a new election for a District 2 primary, which was won by Jared Boast.

Holding another election “would be very costly,” Burdett said, and she does not want to be a financial burden on the county. “I don’t want your money, but if that’s what it takes, I will.”

Burdett said she knows the commission cannot remove Martin from office, so if another election is needed, “I’ll do it.”

“I wasn’t given a chance to register for the District 2 office,” Burdett said. “Cut and dry.”

Burdett believes her civil liberties were violated, saying that Martin did not provide adequate notification to the residents of Liberty-Liberty prior to the Aug. 6 election. She also said that Martin “switched the residents of Liberty-Liberty mid-cycle.” 

Burdett went on to claim that Martin “decided to line the pockets of District 2 with an additional $200,000” while not having her roads maintained by District 2. 

According to a voter ID card that was sent to Burdett in 2022, she was in District 1 when filings opened. The ordinance was passed in January 2022 and went into effect six months later. Filing for the primaries opens at the end of February and closes at the end of March.

During the Sept. 3 meeting, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Paulus addressed commissioners. Paulus, who helped draft the ordinance, said he did not believe the commission acted illegally when it was adopted. However, it may be incorrect and Paulus said it cannot be updated until January 2026. Changes to boundaries can only be made in January of even-numbered years.