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The Indiana Election Division’s Republican co-director and co-general counsel will be leaving their positions the day after the May primary. (Photo/Marilyn Odendahl)

By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
April 15, 2026

Brad King, Republican co-director of the Indiana Election Division, and Valeria Warycha, Republican co-general counsel of the Indiana Election Division, have submitted their resignations, effective at 8 a.m. May 6, the day after the Indiana Primary.

Together, King and Warycha have decades of experience in election administration. King started his career in election law in 1985, while Warycha worked in former Republican Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s office before joining the Election Division.

Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales’ office, which oversees the Election Division, told The Indiana Citizen that it had received a copy of King’s resignation from the governor’s office on Tuesday.

“Secretary Morales is confident the Governor and Indiana Republican Party Chair will appoint a qualified replacement who he looks forward to working alongside of,” Morales’ spokesperson Lindsey Eaton said in an email.

King delivered his handwritten resignation letter to Gov. Mike Braun on Monday. His term as co-director does not end until Jan. 1, 2027, but, noting his long tenure serving as an election official for the state, King indicated he was wanting to retire.

“I am most thankful for the blessing given to me to labor for more than 40 years in a field that I have been keenly interested in since childhood,” King wrote in his letter. “Likewise, I am mindful that in my 68^th year of life, prudence requires me to plan … for the future.”

King also noted in his letter that he will be unable to continue as the Republican counsel to the Indiana Recount Commission after May 6. He advised the Recount Commission to “act accordingly to be prepared for any recount or contest proceeding after the May 5, 2026 primary election.”

Julia Vaughn, Common Cause Indiana executive director, has regularly advocated on behalf of Hoosier voters and has often crossed paths with King when the Indiana General Assembly is in session.

“Brad has been there for years and is seen by Republicans as absolutely the final word on Indiana election law, so his absence will really be felt,” Vaughn said in a statement. “While I haven’t agreed with Brad’s take on much of anything election law related for some time, I acknowledge that he has an immense knowledge of the law and its history.”

Warycha did not provide a reason for her departure.

In her three-sentence resignation letter, Warycha thanked King. She said working with him had been a pleasure and she will “always be grateful for all you have taught me along the way.”

However, in a letter co-written with Lawson, Warycha urged election administrators across the state to support Knox County Circuit Court Clerk David Shelton in the 2026 race for secretary of state. Shelton is challenging Morales for the Republican nomination.

Warycha and Lawson accuse Morales of missteps that have jeopardized the public’s confidence in elections, including allegedly failing to properly notarize the declaration-of-candidacy documents filed by candidates earlier this year and neglecting to “communicate vital law changes” to ePollbook vendors. They also claim Morales has “hollowed out” the budgets for local training and resources, while showing “a remarkable ability to find funds for his own interest and to build his brand,” such as using $90,000 of taxpayer money to buy a vehicle and traveling to Hungary and India at public expense.

Moreover, Warycha and Lawson alleged Morales has never received a security clearance from the federal government. They said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gives secretaries of state in each state security clearance and regular security briefings, so the state election officials can defend the voting process against foreign intervention. The failure of Morales and his staff to get security clearances, they said, is “highly unusual and makes Indiana elections vulnerable.” 

In their letter, Warycha and Lawson then asked the election administrators to help get Shelton on the ballot. They assert nominating Shelton as the Republican candidate in the November secretary of state’s race will keep the office under GOP leadership.

“The secretary of state should be a source of reassurance and security – someone who shows leadership,” Warycha and Lawson wrote. “Not a gladhander who swoops in for a photo op, promises to work on the issue, only to never follow up.”

The Indiana Election Division is a bipartisan office, which has purview over the precinct maps in Indiana and ensures compliance with certain requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

When King steps down, the governor will appoint one of two individuals recommended by the chair of the Indiana Republican Party to fill the co-director position.

Braun’s office and the Indiana Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment from The Citizen.

Warycha has served as counsel in the Election Division since January 2020. Before that, she worked more than seven years for Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson, serving as director of communications and then as deputy chief of staff.

King was first hired by the state in October 1985 to advise the Indiana General Assembly’s interim election law committee. He then served as the Republican co-general counsel of the Election Division from 1992 until 1999 and became the Republican co-director in February 2002.

“I submit this resignation accompanied by my gratitude to the many individuals I have had the privilege to work with and to the people of the state of Indiana whom I have had the privilege to serve,” King wrote in his letter. 

Dwight Adams, an editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.

The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org