This past Friday, Democrat absentee ballot and get-out-the-vote “consultant” Mike Marshall of North Vernon was indicted by a Jennings County grand jury on forty-five felony counts related to vote fraud (twelve Class D felony counts of forgery, thirteen Class D felony counts of perjury and twenty Class D felony counts of vote fraud to be precise).

Marshall’s so Chris faces eleven felony counts (one for forgery, one count for perjury, and nine counts of vote fraud).

John Cook, another North Vernon Democrat and a member with the elder Marshall of the city’s utilities board, faces two counts of forgery, three counts of perjury, and four counts of vote fraud.

These charges represent the criminal prosecution of what has the potential to be the largest vote fraud scam in recent Indiana history. It is no exaggeration to say that the Marshall ring was probably a bigger enterprise than Bob Pastrick’s infamous (and still being litigated) sidewalks-for-votes scheme in Lake County in the 1990s. Readers of this blog may remember that I have blogged about the shady situation in North Vernon and in Jennings County several times before.

Marshall, a former state representative, has run the (now infamous) Jennings County Democratic Party GOTV and absentee operation since 2006. His now-indicted son was a staffer for Congressman Baron Hill and his name (or that of his GOTV organization, then imaginatively called “GOTV” and later named “At Your Service Co.”) appears on campaign finance reports for State Representatives Terry Goodin and Dave Cheatham (among others).

He was involved in the Democratic mayoral primary in Jeffersonville in 2007, where he worked vote Tom Galligan’s successful effort to unseat incumbent Democratic mayor Rob Waiz. That primary resulted in a complaint by Waiz which was subsequently swept under the rug when it was investigated. Marshall was until last Friday working for Galligan’s reelection campaign (and received more than a third of Galligan’s campaign expenditure dollars). Marshall resigned right after the indictment was handed down.

But more on those interesting connections in other posts (below).

From the Columbus Republic:

Three Jennings County residents face a combined 65 felony counts after being indicted by a grand jury on charges of vote fraud, forgery and perjury.

Mike Marshall, a Democrat and president of North Vernon’s Utilities Service Board, faces 12 Class D felony counts of forgery, 13 Class D felony counts of perjury and 20 Class D felony counts of vote fraud, according to paperwork filed with the Jennings County clerk’s office.

Marshall’s son Chris Marshall faces one count each of forgery and perjury and nine counts of vote fraud.

John Cook, a Democrat and member of the Utilities Service Board, faces two counts of forgery, three counts of perjury and four counts of vote fraud.

The case stems from an absentee ballot filed in last year’s election.

Bear in mind that this grand jury is sitting again to hear more evidence. Additional charges may therefore still be coming.

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At the top of this post, I refer to Marshall as a “Democrat absentee guru.” Now in most of America, using the adjective “Democrat” instead of “Democratic” is pejorative and even saying it is like fingers across a chalkboard to Democrats. In many parts of southern Indiana, the adjective “Democrat” has no such connotation. It’s just a locution in the local dialect.

However, as “Democrat” is often used (generally by Republicans in partisan commentaries) to imply a sinister or criminal undertone, I think in this case—with 65 felony counts there and the grand jury sitting again to hear more evidence it is certainly deserved in the pejorative connotation (though I traditionally avoid using it on this blog as much as possible).

Mike Marshall is a “Democrat” shady operator. He is not a “Democratic” anything. Most Democrats, rightfully I should hope, probably recoil from this sort of mendacious subversion of the American political process. Hence, the distinction above.