WOWO EXCLUSIVE: GOP Chair Steve Shine Weighs In on Primary Races and Delayed Results

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO)— Election officials and party leaders in Allen County are continuing to process the results and procedural next steps following Tuesday night’s primary election, which featured narrowly decided races and delayed reporting from multiple vote centers.

In State Senate District 15, State Sen. Liz Brown was declared the winner by 15 votes over challenger Darin Vote. In another close contest, Paul Moss was declared the winner in the Allen County Commissioner District 3 race by 66 votes over Evelina Connelly. The margins in both races have prompted discussion of potential recount requests under Indiana election law.

Earlier in the morning, attorney Kyle Golf discussed Indiana’s recount statutes, including provisions that allow candidates—and in limited circumstances, party officials—to initiate recount proceedings.

Allen County Republican Party Chair Steve Shine, appearing on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee, addressed both the election night reporting delays and the likelihood of recount activity in closely contested races.

Shine described the election night reporting process as affected by multiple operational factors, saying, “The perfect storm existed with regard to the delay in the results being released. First of all, it was a new method with these vote centers that caused some changes in the routine.”

He also pointed to election infrastructure as a contributing factor in the timing of results. “The hardware that was provided by the vendor to the election board was really not up to date. It was replaced in 2022, and it was incapable of handling the massive data that resulted from the change in going precinct by precinct to these 53 vote centers,” Shine said.

According to Shine, the processing time for results increased significantly under the current system. “When it used to take five to ten minutes to process a precinct’s data, it went up to two hours per vote center. That caused these extraordinary delays,” he said.

He added that delays in reporting election results have occurred in prior election cycles. “This is not the first time that there’s been a delay in votes being released by the election board. It happened in 2012, it happened in 2020, and it happened in 2024,” Shine said.

Shine also confirmed that he has spoken with candidates involved in the close races, stating that both sides have acknowledged the possibility of recounts. “Each one of them have expressed that the recount could possibly be on the horizon, and I encourage that for their own peace of mind, given the close proximity of the vote,” he said.

However, Shine said he does not intend to initiate any recount requests in his capacity as party chair. “I can assure you, without equivocation, I will absolutely not, as the county chairman, ask for a recount,” he said. “That would not cause the party to be unified.”

He added that recount mechanisms are designed to be candidate-driven. “There’s a mechanism to have those votes recounted, and that is by the candidates themselves,” Shine said.

When asked about the likelihood of recount filings, Shine said he expects at least some to move forward given the closeness of the results. “Yes, I do. I mean, particularly in the State Senate District 15, that is the closest. And then in the commissioner’s race, that too is close,” he said.

Shine also referenced a prior instance in which he supported a recount request in a general election more than two decades ago. “I did call for a recount back in 1999… but I want to say that was for the general election. My comments are not to the general election, only to the primary election,” he said.

Under Indiana election law, recount requests must be filed within 14 days of the election. Shine noted the deadline as May 19 at noon for the current races.

“It has to happen within 14 days from election day,” he said. “Either candidate would have to ask for a recount.”

He also explained that different procedures apply depending on whether a race is classified as a state or local contest. State-level recounts are handled by the Indiana Recount Commission, while local races may involve a court-appointed panel overseen through the Allen County court system.

“It’s asking the circuit or superior court of Allen County to make a determination as to the validity of the votes,” Shine said, describing the process for local races. “A recount commission has been appointed by the judge of that court to count the votes.”

Toward the end of the interview, Shine said he would remain available as the situation develops, though he added a brief remark when pressed on future availability. “I changed my number,” he said.

The interview concluded with continued monitoring expected from local officials as potential recount requests are reviewed ahead of statutory deadlines.

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