Vigo Certifies Results as Council Tilts 4-3

The Vigo County Election Board certified the results of the Nov. 3 general election Friday, Nov. 13, making Democrat Johnny Vaughn's defeat of five-term Republican Prosecutor Terry Modesitt and a narrower Republican majority on the County Council official.

The board reviewed 16 provisional ballots, accepting 11 and denying five, Vigo County Clerk Jamie Norton told WTHI. Norton said the accepted ballots did not change any results. A problem with a person's voter registration is one reason a provisional ballot can be denied, WTWO reported.

Norton told WTHI the timing follows state law on military ballots.

"To get them certified, we have to wait because there are military ballots that can still come in within a certain amount of time. Everything's by state statute, and they had up until noon today to do that," Norton said.

The county's official results report, posted Nov. 13, shows 28,029 ballots cast, a turnout of 40.10% of 69,901 registered voters. The election-night count that Hoosier First reported Nov. 3 stood at 28,014 ballots.

In the official count, Vaughn received 14,125 votes (51.42%) to Modesitt's 13,345 (48.58%). Republican Commissioner Mark Clinkenbeard kept his District 1 seat with 14,858 votes (54.27%) to 12,519 (45.73%) for Democrat Lynn Ann Morales.

Democratic straight-ticket selections outnumbered Republican ones in the official report, 6,204 to 5,135. Another 102 voters chose the Libertarian straight ticket and 21 chose the Lincoln Party.

Council math

Minnick won the open District 4 seat over Republican Dusty Havens, 4,388 votes (53.10%) to 3,875 (46.90%), in the official count. Republican Randy Gentry, who holds the seat now, did not seek reelection. Gentry joined the council through a Republican caucus in January 2025, WTHI reported at the time.

The council today has five Republicans and two Democrats. Steve Ellis, the council president, Brad Anderson and Brenda Wilson hold the three at-large seats, and all three ran as Republicans in 2024. Republican David Thompson represents District 1 and Gentry District 4. Democrats Nancy Allsup and Vicki Weger represent Districts 2 and 3. Thompson, Allsup and Weger won new terms Nov. 3, and Wilson's county profile says her at-large term runs through Dec. 31, 2028.

With Minnick in Gentry's seat, the council in January will have four Republicans, Ellis, Anderson, Wilson and Thompson, and three Democrats, Allsup, Weger and Minnick. Council members serve four-year terms that begin Jan. 1 after their election, under Indiana Code 36-2-3-3, and state law calls for the council to meet in January to organize.

The school question

At least one school funding vote on the current council split across party lines. On Nov. 12, 2025, the council voted 4-3 to create an oversight committee to study how the county might help the Vigo County School Corp. Republicans Wilson, Anderson and Thompson voted yes with Democrat Weger, who cast the deciding vote. Republicans Gentry and Ellis and Democrat Allsup voted no, the Tribune-Star reported at the time.

The county's request under discussion this fall was $15 million up front and $6 million a year for Plan 6.2, a new eastside high school and a renovated West Vigo, WTHI reported Oct. 26. Council members on both sides of that vote have questioned the amount. Weger said then that she wants to help the schools but doubts "that $6 million was ever something that we were able to do." Ellis said "$6 million a year is an issue for 20 years" and that county needs come first.

County commissioners have since paused their part of the school funding talks until after the new year, Hoosier First reported this week.

School building funding and data centers are both on the agenda for the council's non-voting sunshine session at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the Vigo County Annex, the Tribune-Star reported. The data center item, Resolution 2026-5, would bar county incentives for data centers, as Hoosier First reported Nov. 9.