A recount and a fraud investigation stand in the way of Muncie having an official mayor.
Republican Party Attorney David Brooks said the party officially requested Monday that the votes in all city precincts be recounted.
Recounts are typical when the results of an election are as close as they were this November, he said. Before the recount can begin, however, officials must decide where to hold the recount, he said.
In order to ensure a completely fair, legal and accurate recount, the party has requested that the recount take place under the authority of a judge from a surrounding county, Brooks said.
The location of the recount will be determined early next week, he said. A recount commission will then be appointed and make rules and procedures for the process, he said.
Republican challenger Sharon McShurley said she knew her party asked for a recount of the recent mayoral election in which she was defeated by 11 votes.
"I think it's a validation of the election ... with a recount people will feel comfortable with the results," she said.
Mayoral winner Democrat James Mansfield said he was not surprised a recount was called.
"The recount is an option my opponent certainly has the right to take advantage of," Mansfield said. "I suppose if I were in her position I would do the same thing.
"I was elected by a certified election board [that is] controlled by an election board, including two Republicans. I would think that if there were any improprieties in the process, they would have been uncovered. I hope that after the recount, the results remain the same."
Brooks said by law the recount was supposed to be completed by Dec. 20, unless the court extended the deadline for a good reason.
In addition to the recount, the Republican Party claimed that the Democratic Party committed fraud, tampering and misconduct, Brooks said.
McShurley said some Republican Party members believed the fraud had to do with some of the absentee ballots that were involved in the election.
Brooks claimed to have a "massive amount of substantial evidence" to strengthen the case. Until the charges are officially filed, he said, he would not reveal the details of the evidence.
"We don't want to damage our case or give way to any further fraud, tampering or misconduct that could take place in the meantime," he said.
Mansfield said he had not seen any paperwork that addressed any fraud so he did not want to comment on the issue.
Brooks said the Republicans planned to continue gathering evidence and further investigate the Democrats' actions in the election.
The delay of the official results shouldn't have any adverse effect on the Muncie community, Brooks said.
"There's always a transition period," he said. "It always takes a little while."
While McShurley waits for the election to finalize, she said she would form her own transition committee to oversee her possible ascent to mayor in case the coming proceedings overturned the current results.
"I don't want to be behind if we find out that I won," she said.
Keenan Wilson contributed to this report.
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