Two city candidates are challenging the Democratic primary election in which they said faulty machines and improper conduct were behind several issues.
Mayoral candidate Joe Thomas Jr. told The Herald Thursday that he plans to challenge the runoff election that was held last Tuesday night. Based on those election results, Thomas was defeated by incumbent Mayor Diane Delaware by 141 votes.
Thomas said faulty voting machines are his biggest concern.
“But people voted for me, but the machines showed their vote was cast for my opponent,” Thomas said. “There were problems with one machine as early as 7:30 a.m. And that is the machine that had the most votes for my opponent. There were four complaints on that one machine yet they steadily let people vote on it.”
Thomas said there were also more votes registered on the machines than appear in the books.
Ward 3 Alderman Gregory Robertson has also filed a petition requesting a review and investigation into the first Democratic primary, which was held on Feb. 6.
Incumbent Robertson was defeated in the Democratic primary by challenger Sir Johnathan Rucker by 114 votes. Based on the first primary results, Robertson earned 25.81 percent of the votes, totaling to 112 votes. Rucker earned 52.07 percent of the votes, totaling to 226 votes.
But Robertson filed a petition contesting the election with both the Yazoo County Chancery and Yazoo City Clerk offices on Feb. 26. He requests for an investigation to be held by the Yazoo City Democratic Executive Committee and for another election for Ward 3, where “qualified electors’ votes were improperly, illegally, and willfully mishandled.”
“…and to determine whether elected officials radically departed from standards, practices and procedures of conducting an election in the area specifically known as Ward 3,” the petition continues. “Upon that review find that another election should be ordered.”
Robertson is also requesting that new poll managers be appointed to the new election.
Robertson’s petition states that “the voters in Ward 3 have been disenfranchised.”
Among concerns expressed in Robertson’s challenge were ballot box security, closing procedures at the voting precinct, machines failures and other issues.
“The gross misconduct was to such an extent that is impossible to discern the will of the voter in Ward 3 Alderman race,” the petition concludes.
Robertson asks that the entire box for the Ward 3 precinct be thrown out.
