American Democracy Project at IU South Bend

05/11/2026

Celebrating with December graduate Lindsey Les and May graduate Katelyn Alyousif. Thank you for hard work with the American Democracy Project at IU South Bend! We look forward to following your future successes.

05/09/2026

Congratulations to ADP intern and voter guide co-coordinator Mark Pacheco on these prestigious awards from the IUSB Political Science Department.

05/05/2026

Only a few minutes left!
Get to the polls!

05/05/2026

As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, it’s the right moment to heighten your understanding of the Constitution. Harvard is offering a must-watch. It’s a free, six-part (30 minutes each), nonpartisan course on the nation’s founding document:
https://www.edx.org/learn/government/harvard-university-american-government-constitutional-foundations
(Select “Audit” to access free version.)

05/04/2026

St. Joseph County voters, visit southbendtribune.com. Search Vote411. This is a great way to view reader-friendly stories featuring Vote411 responses by candidates running in the Democratic and Republican party primaries. You'll find MORE responses and MORE races/candidates at Vote411.org.

You can also find these (FREE, ungated) stories below:

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/04/30/qa-for-2-democrats-hoping-to-unseat-republican-dist-2-u-s-rep/89821947007/

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/05/01/clerk-candidates-talk-election-security-accessibility-misinformation/89860414007/

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/05/01/st-joseph-county-sheriff-candidates-share-views-on-issues/89857560007/

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/05/01/several-contested-primaries-for-county-council-candidates-share-views/89862283007/

And the Tribune will be featuring even more Vote411 responses and races in the fall . . . stay tuned.

Tribune, League of Women Voters and IUSB American Democracy Project asked candidates a series of questions. Here are the answers they gave.

05/04/2026

Elkhart County Voters:
We're sorry that these Elkhart Truth stories are behind a paywall. We'll work on that for the fall. THE GOOD NEWS is that you can access the information FREE and NOW by visiting Vote411.org and entering your address to see who's on your ballot and learn more about the candidates.

UPDATE: ALL VOTERS CAN NOW view reader-friendly versions of candidates' responses provided by The Elkhart Truth here:

https://www.elkharttruth.com/news/candidates-for-sheriff-answer-questions/article_6f63ae5f-a626-5e3a-bbfb-d27e0d490187.html

https://www.elkharttruth.com/news/candidates-for-county-clerk-answer-questions/article_d0bc5a76-2507-5379-af2d-ee6d3fd6560a.html

https://www.elkharttruth.com/news/2nd-district-challengers-answer-questions/article_e99f8716-ef7b-5adc-a84e-e046df233a72.html

The Elkhart Truth is partnering with the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and the American Democracy Project of Indiana University South Bend to publish candidates’ answers

05/04/2026

ATTENTION CANDIDATES: Click the PURPLE PAPERCLIP next to the name of your political race in Vote411 to get a URL you can share to send people STRAIGHT to YOUR race & responses.

05/04/2026

Thank you to the candidates who took time to share their views with voters by participating in the Vote411 voter guide.

By responding to questions and helping inform the public, you supported voters’ ability to make informed choices and strengthened our local democracy. We truly appreciate your willingness to engage with the public and be part of this important civic resource.

With sincere thanks to:
Doyle (Rep) — County Auditor (St. Joseph)
Johnson (Rep) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Cressy (Dem) — Prosecuting Attorney of St. Joseph County
Drake (Rep) — St. Joseph County Council, District B
Rolfes (Rep) — St. Joseph County Clerk (Circuit Court)
Stech (Rep) — Bristol Town Council
Haviland (Rep) — Jefferson Township Trustee
Redman (Dem) — St. Joseph County Commissioner, District 1
Holloman (Rep) — Elkhart County Sheriff
Tanner (Dem) — St. Joseph County Council, District H
Stutsman (Dem) — State House District 48
Ashe (Dem) — Portage Township Advisory Board
Schaetzle (Rep) — St. Joseph County Council, District C
Thomas (Dem) — St. Joseph County Council, District E
Johnson (Rep) — Jefferson Township Advisory Board
Wigfall (Dem) — St. Joseph County Sheriff
Rupchock (Dem) — Warren Township Advisory Board
Yaw (Dem) — State House District 48
Hartman (Rep) — Cleveland Township Advisory Board
Baska (Dem) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Decio (Dem) — U.S. House District 2
O'Brien (Rep) — St. Joseph County Council, District C
Cervelli (Dem) — St. Joseph County Council, District C
Critchlow (Dem) — Portage Township Trustee
Broadwick (Rep) — Baugo Township Advisory Board
Robinson (Dem) — German Township Trustee
Lange (Dem) — Penn Township Advisory Board
Vargo (Rep) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Troester (Rep) — Harris Township Trustee
Lindsay (Rep) — Harris Township Trustee
Groski (Rep) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Mueller (Rep) — Middlebury Township Trustee
Rogers (Rep) — State Senate District 11
Camp (Dem) — St. Joseph County Council, District E
Clayton (Rep) — St. Joseph County Council, District B
Bauer (Dem) — State House District 6
Milne (Dem) — State House District 49
Castellon (Rep) — St. Joseph County Assessor
Culp (Rep) — Elkhart County Sheriff
Bozman (Rep) — Centre Township Trustee
Shabazz II (Dem) — Portage Township Board
Duncan (Dem) — Penn Township Trustee
Olvera (Rep) — Elkhart County Clerk
Pickens (Rep) — Elkhart County Clerk
Rohatgi (Dem) — St. Joseph County Council, District B
Coffman (Rep) — Walkerton Town Council
Price (Rep) — Warren Township Advisory Board
Laureys (Rep) — St. Joseph County Sheriff
Monterrosa Jr. (Dem) — German Township Advisory Board
King (Dem) — Union Township Advisory Board
Callahan (Dem) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Hill (Dem) — Portage Township Advisory Board
Ruszkowski (Dem) — St. Joseph County Sheriff
O'Brien (Dem) — Clay Township Trustee
Brinker (Dem) — Harris Township Advisory Board
Maeyens (Dem) — U.S. House District 2
Ball (Dem) — St. Joseph County Clerk (Circuit Court)
Gray (Rep) — Elkhart County Council, District 2
Lawson (Dem) — State House District 49
Lindenman (Rep) — Centre Township Advisory Board
Zmyslo (Dem) — German Township Advisory Board
McCormick (Rep) — Liberty Township Advisory Board
Vos (Dem) — Harris Township Trustee
Cummings (Dem) — St. Joseph County Assessor

05/03/2026

We want our students--and our broader community--to learn about ALL races on the ballot including national, state, county, and township level races. This includes the positions of township trustee and advisory board! Not sure WHAT these folks do? You aren't alone! But you can learn more NOW by visiting Vote411.org.

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05/03/2026

What Do Township Trustees Do?
What About a Township Advisory Board?
Find out—and learn more about the candidates and the steps they’ll take to improve the lives of township residents—by visiting VOTE411.org and entering your home address.
Get the facts. Compare candidates. Be an informed voter.