More evidence election reform needed
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Jason PattersonSmall town election shenanigans have mostly been overlooked by state and federal officials, but things may change as the problem grows to a level that it could affect some of those officials.
I recently wrote about how Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann noticed the curiously high number of absentee ballots being cast in many counties, and I explained how manipulating the absentee process has been a problem in Yazoo County for some time.
A challenge filed last week by a supervisor candidate in Holmes County should add momentum to the effort for some real election reform in Mississippi.
Leonard Hampton alleges, among other things, that voters were enticed with alcohol and illegal substances and driven by bus to the polls. That sounds strange, but so does the response of election winner Norman Cobbins Jr, a veteran Holmes County Supervisor.
“"I would say that anything he says I did, he did the same thing,” Cobbins told The Clarion Ledger.
The old “I didn’t do anything he didn’t do,” is one that I’ve been told off the record by candidates several times over the years covering elections here in Yazoo County and throughout the Mississippi Delta.
“It was just as fair as it’s ever been,” Cobbins later said, an apparent admission that fraudulent activities are nothing new in Holmes County.
Hampton’s challenge also predictably includes allegations that absentee ballots were misused with voters being improperly influenced. This is an area where many political candidates are openly abusing the system because they know they can get away with it. Anytime one person brings in numerous voters to cast absentee ballots it’s highly unlikely that they’re just doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. Here in Yazoo City we’ve seen such activities rewarded with the creation of taxpayer-funded jobs.
The need for reform is clearly evident.
Hopefully the recent headlines that have resulted from all of the evidence that real problems exist will inspire some action. Problems have been ignored for far too long.
The people of Mississippi deserve to have fair elections. We shouldn’t be forced to settle for “as fair as it’s ever been.”
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Jason Patterson is the editor and publisher of The Yazoo Herald. He can be reached at 746-4911 or by email at
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Dear Editor,
The decision by the present school board not to renew the teaching and coaching contract of Mr. Archie Carlyle was a planned and calculated act of politics. This kind of thing has been happening for years.
They didn’t follow policies or procedures in this matter. The state’s report on the district asked the board to stop interfering in this kind of situation, but it seems they didn’t get the memo.
My mother always put her 11 children first in making decisions for their futures. It is clear this board did not do that.
Mr. Carlyle’s only crime was putting his students first. I feel like Jesus, when he told the people at the well, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I and the 800 people who have signed the petition calling for Carlyle’s return can find no fault in his dedication to our community. We are being laughed at across the state, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Our community is losing faith in our ability to work in a productive and successful district. The Yazoo Herald’s sports editor called it a “travesty.” I ask the question, where are all those Christian folks, his co-workers, his pastor and his fellow church members?
Where are the athletes, past and present, and most of all where are the parents? He has mothered and fathered when you were unable to make it to a game or on the road, giving your children heart-to-heart talks of motivation and encouragement both in the halls of our schools and on the streets of this community. Now he deserves your support in this critical matter.
This affects us all, black and white, because the future of our community is at stake. I am asking everyone to show as much concern about this matter as they do during election time.
Mr. Clifton Jones, I sat on the school board when you and your wife in a 3 to 2 vote were denied what you rightfully deserved. When you first ran for alderman you were the only politician I ever spent an entire day with, walking the streets because I believed in you. When I ran for mayor as an independent, I endorsed McArthur Straughter in the primary. Many people thought I was crazy, but I was exercising my rights.
Mr. Aubry Brent Jr., I followed you from Vicksburg to Belzoni and saw people commit perjury to defeat you. When citizens support a candidate, they want something in return. As a citizen with the 800 petitioners, we are calling in our wager. Just get the record of the board of that decision, which is public record. Check the timeline of the action, and you will be amazed. Next month you will appoint or reappoint a board member, but before you do we deserve answers.
If you find me wrong I will come back and sit before you and the school board and give a public apology. Everyone deserves their day in court, and Mr. Carlyle certainly does.
What you do or don’t do will determine the caliber of teachers and coaches willing to come into our community and work with our children.
Johnny Staples
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