amid the massive Republican wave that swept through Indiana. The Democrats subsequently filed suit to overturn White's victory, claiming that since Secretary of State candidates must be registered voters, they must be registered legally and therefore White was ineligible to run. However, the state Recount Commission dismissed the Democrats' claim. The Democrats appealed, and on April 7 Marion County judge Louis Rosenberg ordered the Recount Commission to make a ruling on the legality of White's registration. The commission voted unanimously to clear White, accepting his claim that he intended to use his old home as his permanent address. The Democrats asked Rosenburg to review the decision, which he did (in White's absence) on November 23. He was expected to make a ruling in 30 days. 2011 election certification On December 22, 2011, Rosenberg ruled that White had in fact violated election law, and that he had been ineligible to run. Rosenberg ordered the Recount Commission to remove White from office and declare Osili as the winner by default. White immediately announced he would appeal, and asked Rosenberg to stay his ruling until a higher court could hear the case. The next day, Rosenburg issued a temporary stay on his own ruling until January 3, 2012. On January 4, Rosenburg ruled that White could stay in office while his appeal worked its way through the courts. If Osili ultimately became Secretary of State, he would have been the first Democrat to hold that post since 1994. According to Jim Shella, political reporter at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, if Osili ultimately became Secretary of State, the Republicans would have legally received no votes in the Secretary of State's race. This would drop them below the 10 percent threshold required to retain major-party status in the state (major party status is determined by Secretary of State results). On February 4, 2012, White was convicted of six felonies related to his actions in the 2010 election, thus automatically removing him from office; Indiana, like most states, does not allow convicted felons to hold office. White tried to get the charges reduced to misdemeanors at sentencing, but Hamilton County Superior Court Judge Steven Nation refused to do so, thus ending any chance of White regaining office even if Rosenberg's ruling giving the office to Osilli had been reversed on appeal. Governor Mitch Daniels appointed White's deputy, Jerry Bonnet, as interim Secretary of State. However, the Indiana