NATCHEZ — Closing arguments for which Natchez candidate will be seated in Senate District 37 will be heard today at the state capitol.

Former Sen. Bob Dearing, a Democrat, is the certified winner of the November general race for the seat, but Republican incumbent Sen. Melanie Sojourner has challenged his 64-vote win to the Senate.

A five-person committee has been appointed and is conducting a fact-finding investigation before making a recommendation to the Senate. What that recommendation might be was not clear as of press time.

Dearing said Thursday evening the committee wanted to hear from all of the witnesses, and testimony would likely last until after 10 p.m.

“They are going to come back first thing in the morning, have closing arguments and then the committee will make their recommendation to the full Senate,” Dearing said. “Hopefully that will be around 10 a.m.”

Dearing said the hearings — which began in the morning — had made for a long day, but “it is worth it.”

“Everything worthwhile is worth waiting for,” he said.

Sojourner could not be reached by phone for comment about Thursday’s proceedings.

During testimony Thursday, a Republican poll watcher said she believes more than 100 violations of election laws took place in Bude precinct in Franklin County in November.

But Dearing’s attorney, Brad Pigott questioned whether the poll watcher, Anita Leonard, is accusing election officials of wrongdoing without having fully seen or heard what was happening.

Leonard filed misdemeanor charges against five poll workers more than a week after the Nov. 3 general election. She accuses some of improperly helping voters and others of failing to check voters’ identification.

Pigott said Leonard could not see or hear all interaction between poll workers and voters.

In the appeal to the Senate, one of the suggested remedies Sojourner’s petition puts forward is disqualifying the Bude precinct’s results. If the precinct is not counted, she would win the election.

Dearing said his team planned to call the four precinct workers and the election commissioner against whom Leonard’s allegations were filed.

Adams County Election Commissioner Larry Gardner was also set to testify Thursday evening.

Wednesday’s testimony included — among others —Sojourner herself and Adams County Circuit Clerk Eddie Walker, who discussed how absentee ballots in Adams County were secured.

The committee’s ultimate recommendation, which will follow the filing of a report with the Secretary of State, can could authorize seating Dearing, authorize seating Sojourner, declare the district seat vacant, order a new election for the whole district or for certain precincts or “any other remedy including those that are available to the courts in cases involving an election contest.”

Sojourner has been the District 37 senator since 2011. Prior to that Dearing held the seat for 32 years.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.