JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The Clark County Election Board opted not to recount votes at one of its polling location, officials said this week.

The votes in question could impact Republican State Sen. Chris Garten’s 297-vote lead he came out of Election Day with. Garten is running for reelection for the Indiana State Senate District 45 seat, which covers Clark County and New Albany in southern Indiana. Should he lose the race, it would be complicated for Indiana Senate Republicans as they selected Garten as the 2027 Senate president pro tempore

The board opened an investigation into the Jeffersonville High School polling station to see if votes were miscalculated, but the board said it would not recount unless a candidate or political party requests one.

Indiana GOP Chair Lana Keesling said in a statement that the potential recount would have been a “baseless fishing expedition in an attempt to overturn the results of an election (Democrats) lost.”

“”The whole country should be paying attention to what is happening in Clark County,” her statement continued. “Democrats are throwing out serious claims about missing votes without offering any evidence to back them up. Raising legitimate questions is one thing — making unsupported accusations that damage trust in our elections is another.”

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian agreed with Keesling that Clark County should be in the country’s eye.

“The whole country should pay attention to what is happening in Clark County, Indiana,” her statement said. “Media and members of the public have identified clear discrepancies in voting results and the Clark County Election Board refused to address them.”

The Clark County Election Board did not respond to a request for comment.