(Indianapolis, IN) — Indiana voters will get a chance to hear from all four candidates for secretary of state during a live debate tonight.
Republican Max Engling, Democrat Beau Bayh, Libertarian Lauri Shillings, and Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard will participate in the debate from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT at the WFYI-TV studios in Indianapolis.
WFYI-TV and the Indiana Debate Commission are presenting the debate. Dr. Laura Merrifield Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis and member of the Indiana Debate Commission, will moderate.
The race will put a new face in the secretary of state’s office. Republican incumbent Diego Morales is not on the November ballot after Engling defeated him and other challengers for the GOP nomination at the Republican state convention in June.
Engling, 39, lives in Cicero and worked for U.S. Sen. Jim Banks before entering the race. He previously spent about 12 years working on Capitol Hill, including service as an aide to then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Bayh, 30, is an Indianapolis attorney and former U.S. Marine Corps officer. He previously served as a law clerk for federal appeals court Judge David Hamilton. Bayh is the son of former Indiana governor and U.S. senator Evan Bayh.
Shillings, 55, lives in Carmel and works as creative director at the University of Indianapolis. She is chair of the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County and was the Libertarian candidate for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District in 2024.
Ballard, 71, is a former two-term mayor of Indianapolis. He was elected mayor as a Republican in 2007 and 2011 and served from 2008 through 2015. Ballard, a longtime U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is running this year under the newly formed Lincoln Party banner.
The secretary of state is Indiana’s chief elections officer. The office also oversees business services, securities regulation, and auto dealer services. Its responsibilities include oversight of state elections, registering businesses, regulating the securities industry, commissioning notaries public, registering trademarks, and licensing vehicle dealerships.
WFYI-TV says tonight’s debate will include issues involving Indiana elections, regulation, and business.
WRBI will make the debate available to watch and hear live on WRBIRadio.com beginning at 7 p.m. tonight.
Click here to watch and listen to the Indiana Secretary of State debate live.
Indiana’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
