INDIANAPOLIS — Two days after America celebrated Independence Day, Nathan Gotsch submitted well over the required number of signatures for an independent candidate to secure a place on the ballot in this fall’s election for Congress in Indiana’s 3rd District.
“I’m incredibly grateful to our amazing team of signature-gatherers,” said Gotsch in a provided news release, “and to the thousands of Northeast Indiana voters who want another choice this November, and were willing to sign their name to it. Because of the hard work of a lot of people, that will now happen.”
Indiana state law requires independent and third-party candidates to obtain signatures from registered voters equal to 2% of the total votes cast for Indiana secretary of state in the most recent general election. There is no signature requirement for Republican or Democratic Congressional candidates, the release states.
In the 3rd District, that meant Gotsch and his supporters needed to gather at least 4,598 signatures, while his major party competitors were able to focus on campaigning.
A lawsuit filed earlier this year by the Center for Competitive Democracy on behalf of minor political parties, independent candidates and their voter-supporters alleges these ballot access regulations are unconstitutional. It is currently pending in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Gotsch and his team submitted signatures from counties across the 3rd District: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley.
Each signature was validated by their respective election boards, and on Wednesday Gotsch delivered them to the Indiana Secretary of State’s office for a final tabulation.
That total number of valid signatures – 7,001 – surpassed the amount of votes cast for the Democratic nominee in the same race in May’s primary election (6,777).
“Those numbers tell me that the people of Northeast Indiana are ready to move beyond partisan politics,” said Gotsch. “The next few months are going to be one long job interview, and I’m going to work hard to try to convince them to hire me as their Congressman.”
A native of Fort Wayne, Gotsch has extensive experience in education and media, according to the release. After spending the early years of his professional career working in entertainment, he returned to northeast Indiana to teach at his alma mater, Concordia Lutheran High School. He also spent time as a communications consultant for a health-based non-profit foundation, working to improve mental health awareness in Northeast Indiana.
In 2021, he founded an organization focused on fighting COVID in northeast Indiana by using one-on-one conversations between family and friends to spread vital information about preventative measures and life-saving treatment options.
Gotsch will formally launch his campaign next week in a series of public events throughout northeast Indiana. To learn more, donate or sign up to receive email updates, visit nathanforus.com.
