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After a court order, Lindsey Cornett is back on the ballot for the Indianapolis Public Schools Board of School Commissioners election but without a political party affiliation.
“I am really excited to get to move forward and head to November,” Cornett said, adding that she’s not worried about no longer having a Democratic affiliation, saying she’ll make her thoughts and ideas clear to voters.
Marion Superior Court Judge John M.T. Chavis II ordered the ballot change on Friday.
Cornett faces Democrat and incumbent Chris Bultman in the race for District 4, representing the southwestern part of the school district. She was running as a write-in candidate after being removed from the ballot. Five of the seven of the IPS school board seats are on the ballot this November.
Cornett was previously on the ballot, and the Marion County Election Board decided to remove her in August after a successful challenge to her party affiliation. Cornett filed a judicial review shortly after that decision.
The challenge against her alleged that Cornett didn’t meet the requirements to run as a Democrat because she hadn’t voted in two Indiana Democratic primary elections, as she thought she did and indicated on her filing paperwork.
Due to a 2025 law, school board candidates have the option to include a party affiliation on the ballot this election. To do that, candidates can either have voted in two party primaries or seek approval from the county chairman of that political party.
Bultman also faced a challenge to his party affiliation, saying he needed to vote in the two most recent Indiana Democratic primaries in 2026 and 2024 to qualify. Bultman’s most recent primary votes were in 2026 and 2020.
However, the election board decided that Bultman met the requirement to run as a Democrat because he had voted in at least two Democratic primaries, but Cornett had not and should be removed from the ballot.
The board cited guidance from the Indiana Election Division and interpretation from the author of the law on partisan school board candidates and pointed to state law about candidates running for office in its decision.
Cornett, however, argued that the law was unfairly applied and the board should have used a state law that points specifically to school board candidates. She said she and Bultman should both be on the ballot, but neither should be listed as a Democrat, and asked the court to review the election board’s decisions on the challenges against her and Bultman.
In his Friday decision, Chavis wrote that the election board’s reading of state law and decision to remove Cornett was incorrect for a party affiliation challenge. He agreed that the state law around school board elections should have been used and added that the guidance from the state election division is “advisory only” and not binding.
The only time state law says a school board candidate can be removed from the ballot is when the candidate moves outside the district and fails to withdraw, per the court order.
Chavis did not revisit the election board’s decision about Bultman, saying the issue was not properly filed with the court and the deadline had passed.
Chalkbeat Indiana reached out to Bultman for comment, but didn’t immediately hear back.
The court decision comes just as ballots are being printed. The election board said it will now print ballots and mail absentee ballots next week.
The District 4 IPS school board seat is on the ballot following the resignation of board member Allissa Impink. She resigned after winning the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 46. The winner of the IPS District 4 race in November would serve the remainder of Impink’s term until 2028.
Election Day is Nov. 3 and early voting starts Oct. 6. Voters can apply for absentee ballots by mail at vote.indy.gov.
MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.
