Jackson Free Press

House District 71 winner Adrienne Wooten asked the Hinds County Circuit Court to order the Hinds County Election Commission to reverse its decision to hold a revote, and to certify her as the winner of the Nov. 6 election.

Wooten called the decision to hold a revote "illegal and unconstitutional." "The election commission, without any respect of the state election codes and the Mississippi Constitution, has ordered a new election. … The voters of House District 71 have spoken loud and clear. They do not want to be represented by John Reeves beyond Dec. 31," Wooten said in a statement.

Commissioners approved a Dec. 18 revote in four South Jackson precincts where incumbent John Reeves claims voters experienced problems during the Nov. 6 election.

"Some of my voters got ballots that didn't even have my name on it," Reeves said. "It was a violation of their constitutional rights and my voters have a right to a fair election."

Reeves occupies a split precinct, which requires voters be classified in either "A" or "B" categories based on their location within the precinct. Poll workers in precincts 72, 93, 92 and 96 directed some voters to the wrong ballot in the general election, sending some District 71 residents to vote in House District 66, where Reeves' name is not a ballot option. Poll workers in Precinct 92 also used the wrong voter roll and turned some voters away when their names didn't appear.

Reeves, a Republican who has held the District 71 seat since 1984, lost to Democrat Wooten by about 220 votes. Wooten got more than 1,500 votes, while Reeves garnered about 1,300. The re-vote could affect more than 800 voters, easily tilting the election results.

Hinds County Democratic Party Committee member Claude McInnis downplayed Reeves' argument. "I don't think that anything was so wrong that they required a new vote," McInnis said. "If it rains only on you, there's a problem, but it rained a little on everybody this election cycle. ... Most of what Reeves complained about is unknowable. You can't tell how many people walked away without voting that day. And in Precinct 92, nobody was told 'you can't vote today,'" McInnis said.

Reeves also requested a revote in precincts 74, 75 and 76, under the direction of Hinds County Election Commissioner Jermal Clark. Reeves claims Clark's position as a member of the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee presented a conflict of interest.

"The party executive committee wants to get people from their party elected, while the commissioner's job is to administer a free and fair election," Reeves said. "He was supposed to hire Republicans and Democrats, but I don't think there were any Republicans in those precincts, and it so happens that I lost those precincts big. Is that a coincidence?"

Reeves requested the commission remove Clark from the re-vote decision, but the commission refused, and Clark was the lone dissenter in the 4-1 vote approving the revote.

McInnis argued that Clark resigned from the Democratic committee earlier this year, and said all commission members proclaim allegiance with a party. Commissioners Marilyn Avery and Connie Cochran are Republicans, while Josephine Anderson, Lelia Rhodes and Clark are Democrats. "Every commissioner declares themselves a Republican or a Democrat, so if Clark has a conflict, they all have one," McInnis said. " ... Should we declare a new election all over the county?"

In the August primaries, Sen. Nolan Mettetal, D-Sardis, barely won a race against Mona Pittman by about 88 votes in the August primary. Pittman contested that race, alleging voter irregularity, but Circuit Court Judge Samac Richardson canceled the Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Committee's order for a new election. Pittman said she might appeal Richardson's decision to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Scottie Cuevas, of Pass Christian, who lost his seat to attorney David Baria in the primary, may appeal a Hancock County Circuit Judge's decision to uphold the election results to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

House Districts 111 and 43 may not be out of the picture. Russ Nowell beat Republican Gale Gregory by about 100 votes, while Democrat Brandon Jones creeped over Republican Tim Lee by about 11 votes. Both elections, as well as the Reeves/Wooten debacle, could end up being decided by legislators in the House.

Previous Comments

ID

68195

Comment

Adam Lynch, thanks for the article. As always, your information is clear and well reported. I'm suprised that the article has not attracted any bloggsso far. I realize that there are people who were disappointed in Reeve's defeat; however, I don't think that a cherry picking re-election should be held. If I were in favor of a re-election (I am not), it would be a complete election with all precincts participating. Would it be fair for people who did not vote, not because of any election screw up but, because they just didn't feel like going to the poll. be allowed to vote? I don't think so. Every effort should be made to ensure the best possible outcome for people who participate in this process. When things go wrong, as they sometimes do, we must operate under the provisions that are above boards; not by what we would like to see happen. This really sets a president for elections and I am sure that it will back-fire.

Author

justjess

Date

2007-12-06T14:04:18-06:00

ID

68196

Comment

Well, JustJess, you might no believe in re-do's but when the wrong ballots are handed out then it becomes necessary and has been done many places. What I don't believe in is split precincts and they have caused untold difficulties. John Reeves is the senior member of the Hinds County Delegation and no one is a better friend to the City of Jackson. He is responsive and non-partisan on any issue facing the City. Adrienne Wooten will probably replace him and certainly has no empathy for any color other than her own. She will be a partisan player and portray a non-inclusive attitude. These attitudes are not what Jackson needs and do not help in economic development which could serve to improve the tax base with a continued diverse city population.

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2007-12-06T16:04:29-06:00

ID

68197

Comment

ChrisCavanaugh, so --- you say Adrienne Wooten doesn't like white people. What do you base that on?

Author

FreeClif

Date

2007-12-11T14:38:48-06:00

ID

68198

Comment

I'm with Whit. That's a heavy allegation. What do you base it on? And how can you know that, in advance?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-12-11T14:39:50-06:00

ID

68199

Comment

This is not the Wooten I'm familiar with. What is this assumption based on, or do you have facts, Chris? Has John always been non-partisan. Is he copletely non-partisan? Adrienne probably know who she is, is probably proud of who and what she is, and knows how she arrived here; but I don't know that this makes her adverse to the interest of whites or unable to juggle the interest of all citizens.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-12-11T15:44:37-06:00

ID

68200

Comment

John Reeves needs to take his wipen like a grown man and go sit down, and now he can move to madison cause he has nothing to keep him south Jackson now. If he moves he wasn't their for the people but for the position.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2007-12-11T16:05:40-06:00