“In the sixty-four-page order, Judge Jeff Weill not only calls for a new election but also finds evidence of fraud and criminal activity, in how absentee ballots were handled, how votes were counted, and the actions by some at the polling place,” local news reports.
The race in question – a Democratic primary – occurred in Ward 1 or Aberdeen, Mississippi for the position of alderman between candidates Robert Devaull and Nicholas Holliday.
The judge’s ruling revealed that sixty-six of eighty-four absentee ballots – nearly 79 percent – cast in the June runoff were fraudulent.
Notary Dallas Jones, responsible for authorizing the fraudulent ballots, testified that she notarized “about 30 something ballots” at one house alone.
The investigation also found that 83 regular ballots were counted without being initialed by election workers.
“The court is of the opinion there is probable cause that several individuals involved in the disturbances during election day at the polling precinct ‘willfully and corruptly violated’ one or more of the above criminal statutes,” court filings state. “The court will leave to the appropriate authorities to determine whether the actions of Maurice Howard, Henry Randle and S. Nicholas Holliday amounted to prosecutable crimes.”
Source: Natalie Winters at The National Pulse. Natalie Winters is a Senior Reporter at the National Pulse and producer of The National Pulse TV show. (Original article)
