Lipsey files election contest

Published 2:05 am Tuesday, October 30, 2007

VIDALIA — Filing approximately 40 minutes before the final deadline Monday, Concordia Parish sheriff candidate Glenn Lipsey contested the sheriff’s race based on 107 votes.

Lipsey lost the Oct. 20 election by a margin of only 21 votes, his second loss in as many elections to Sheriff Randy Maxwell.

The suit affidavit alleges Lipsey would have won the election “except for substantial irregularities or errors and other unlawful activities in the conduction of the election.”

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Click here for a pdf of Glenn Lipsey’s petition to contest the election for Concordia Parish sheriff.

Among the allegations contained in the suit are that 81 citizens who were not qualified to vote in the election were allowed to do so, and that as many as seven votes from residents of nursing homes were improperly cast.

Other allegations include that as many as eight prisoners were transported to the polls to vote instead of by absentee vote, and that at least nine voters who did not qualify to have assistance voting were given assistance.

The suit further makes allegations of vote buying and the allowance of voting rights to convicted felons.

It also alleges at least 14 qualified voters were turned away at the polls and at least six voters were not provided absentee ballots in a timely manner.

The suit also alleges an instance of voting machine malfunction resulted in a vote being cast twice. It also alleges a different voter was allowed to vote twice.

The suit also claims at least four voters were granted the right to vote without proper identification.

In all, the suit contests the votes of 107 voters by name.

The matter will be taken up before the Seventh District Court at 10 a.m. Friday.

Both Seventh District Division “B” Judge Leo Boothe and Division “A” Judge Kathy Johnson have recused themselves from the matter.

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