Recount may spur election challenge

Candidate Chris Jones questions late-night tally giving incumbent mayor votes needed to avoid runoff

By Raymond Reeves    Clarion Ledger    18 August 2005

A mayoral candidate plans to challenge Tuesday's municipal elections results after an unscheduled, late-night recount elevated incumbent Mayor Charles Stokes from a runoff berth to the winner.

And one of the town's election board members refused Wednesday to certify the results because she questioned their validity.

"My first reaction was 'OK, here we go again,'" said Chris Jones, who was slated to be in a runoff with Stokes based on an initial tally. "I'm going to find out what I have to do to protest it. I'm thinking that's what I'm going to do, just to see those votes that I didn't see (Tuesday)."

The city held elections Tuesday after the original June 7 elections were called off. Unopposed incumbents had failed to properly register for re-election.

An initial count Tuesday evening had Stokes gathering 166 votes to Jones' 125. A third candidate, Jesse Killingsworth, finished with 56 votes.

The new vote totals show 289 votes cast in the mayoral race, with Stokes having 148 votes, or 51 percent, Jones, 91 votes, or 32 percent, and Killingsworth, 50 votes, or 17 percent.

Willie Hamilton, head of the Utica Municipal Election Board, requested the four boxes containing the ballots be stacked in the corner of the town hall board room, saying the day's elections were complete.

Afterward, however, boxes for Ward 1 and Ward 2 were reopened and recounted, said Mary Landin, the poll manager for Wards 3 and 4. She totaled all of the votes at the town hall.

"Something went wrong with the machines, from my understanding. The information from the tape ... the wrong information was given from the wrong tallying sheet," said Gloria Wilson, a clerk at the town hall.

Pat Curtis, one of three election board members, said the board met again Wednesday morning to certify the results.

"I refused to put my name on the certification, because I wasn't sure that those numbers were correct," Curtis said.

Stokes said he didn't realize he had been declared the winner until he arrived at town hall Wednesday morning.

"The only thing I've found out was that the (first) totals were unofficial and they really didn't find out until they took the machines back (to Jackson)," Stokes said. "The first thing I thought was that it was great. I didn't have to go through the campaign thing over again."

The results have been certified as official, Wilson said. But not everyone is happy with the recount.

The workers at the library, the voting location for Wards 1 and 2 where the votes in the disputed count were cast, were all first-time workers.

"The poll manager called Willie Hamilton to the library to do the final count ? and I don't think he's supposed to do that. That's why you have poll workers," Jones said.

Hamilton could not be reached Wednesday.

Another issue of concern was the visible presence of police at the library.

"They're not even supposed to be in (the voting location), much less be in here with their weapons," said Jones, who also works as a detective for the Vicksburg Police Department. "You cannot take your own weapon, visibly on your person, if you're in uniform, because of (potential) intimidation."

David Blount, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said if any candidate feels the election was not conducted fairly then that candidate has the right to examine the boxes.

The alderwoman at-large race remains in a runoff. Jo Ann Caston, seeking re-election, will face challenger Doris Ross on Aug. 23.

"I don't see how they could have made this mistake," Ross said. "I don't know what to think (about this). I'm just getting ready for another election, and hope to pull some more support by next week."

Caston said she had no comment, except to say she hoped the people of Utica would come out and re-elect her during the runoff.

The recount showed 287 votes cast, with Caston and Ross each receiving 105, or 36.59 percent. Shirley Curtis received 77 votes, or 26.83 percent.