Jackson Free Press

The House will decide the outcome of a December re-vote when it convenes in January. Both Republican incumbent John Reeves and Democratic challenger Adrienne Wooten filed petitions in the House to contest the November election, and the matter will be waiting for House members when they arrive Jan. 8.

Their decision follows a two-month-long political saga. Reeves contested the November election before the Hind County Election Commission could even certify the results, claiming voter irregularities in his split district cost enough votes to throw the election. Wooten won the November race by less than 200 votes.

Reeves demanded a re-vote from the commission, which complied. Wooten contested the re-vote, however, and asked Hinds County Circuit Court to order the commission to certify the results. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd ruled that the commission should have certified the election results before Reeves had even lodged his grievance, essentially ending the re-vote.

Reeves appealed Kidd's decision to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which immediately ruled in Reeves' favor, and the re-election in four contested precincts was back on in December.

Reeves lost the re-vote in those precincts by 18 votes, and now hopes the House will act upon petitions he and Wooten filed last month in the next legislative session.

"The contest is still pending," Reeves told the Jackson Free Press. "The bottom line is that every voter and every candidate is entitled to a free and fair election, and when that doesn't happen the law entitles the candidate to contest the election. Some would say throw in the title because the other person got the most votes, but while that may be the path of least resistance, it's not necessarily the right thing to do."

Wooten points out that she won the entire race by 190 votes, after adding in her successes in all the other precincts outside the contested four, and called upon Reeves to gracefully accept the will of the voters.

"The two petitions we filed are moot. They're null and void. Reeves got what he asked for. He said there were voting irregularities in the precinct and felt we needed a new election, and we had that on the 15th. He should accept his losses," Wooten said.

Neither candidate knew when the House decision was pending.