INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Election Board has sent a report to the Inspector General regarding the conduct of Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales.
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They sent a letter to Morales asking him to come to the meeting on Friday detailing their concerns. Morales did not show up.
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The board alleges Morales violated state law when he visited the Marion County Election Board Service Center in 2024 and had state staffers shoot video of the visit. He later used that footage in a campaign ad.
Together, we have worked to protect our elections, build a friendly business environment, and hold bad actors accountable. But there is more work to be done. That is why I am announcing my reelection as Indiana Secretary of State. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gQVUKr8BAR
— Diego Morales (@cdiegomorales) May 1, 2025
Title 4 of Indiana law states that no personal use of state property is allowed unless provided by an agency policy that has been approved by the State Ethics Commission.
The board alleges he violated the law because Morales had state staffers shoot the video.
Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell said the board asked Morales to remove the video before escalating the matter.
"We simply asked him to remove a political video, and he didn't do it. We found out they were state resources, but we said, 'Hey, but you really need to do this,' and he refused again and again," Sweeney Bell said.
The Marion County Election Board invited Morales to its meeting Friday morning to explain his side. He declined. Instead, he claims his campaign team sent a letter to the board on Thursday. The board says it never received it.
In the letter, Morales claims there is no violation because he first used the video on his official Secretary of State social media channels in November 2024. He then used a short clip from that video in a campaign video published on his personal social media and campaign website last May.
Morales also claims the board has no authority over the matter.
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Sweeney Bell pushed back on that position.
"There is a set of rules, and there is the rule of law everyone is expected to follow it — no matter your position. No matter your title. No matter how important you think you are," Sweeney Bell said.
Sweeney Bell described the conduct in strong terms.
"This was bad behavior. It was criminal behavior, and just to ignore it and hope that it will go away is something that seems pretty childish to me," Sweeney Bell said.
The Marion County Election Board has barred Morales from the non-public portion of the Marion County Election Service Center for the remainder of the 2026 election season.
WRTV reached out to the Inspector General's office, but they say they do not comment on ongoing complaints or investigations.
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