NATCHEZ — Leon Atkins, the uncle of independent Adams County Tax Assessor candidate Douglas Atkins, was arrested just after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning at Joseph Frazier Elementary School voting precinct for disorderly conduct by failure to comply with law officers.
Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said deputies were called to the Northside precinct after complaints that Leon Atkins was sitting too close to poll workers and intimidating poll workers and voters.
Patten said poll workers offered Leon Atkins a place to sit and observe away from the poll workers’ table but he refused.

Leon Atkins said he was appointed by Douglas Atkins to sit where he could see and hear voters present photo identification and verify that they were legally allowed to cast a ballot.

Atkins said the seat offered to him was too far away from the poll workers for him to do his job, adding three of six poll workers acted hostile toward him for being there and falsely accused him of being disruptive.

“I’ve been a poll watcher for about 25 years,” Leon Atkins said. “… In those 25 years, I’ve always seen a discrepancy between polls and the guidelines created by the Secretary of State’s Office stating that a poll watcher should be able to comfortably see and hear the voting process. Each time I’ve been to Northside, I’ve been challenged on that and until this time it was determined that I was correct. … They were not satisfied by that this time and told me that I had to leave.”

Atkins said he sat approximately 6 feet behind the poll workers table and at least 12 feet away from the voting booths while poll workers asked him to move 100 feet away where he couldn’t see or hear what was happening.

Patten said a Natchez police officer responded to the incident before deputies arrived and made matters worse by telling Atkins he was within his rights rather than enforcing the law.

“He was arrested because he failed to follow orders,” Patten said. “The law says that you shall provide a place for the poll workers. … He was within a foot behind the poll workers’ heads. … The officer pulled this man aside and whispered to him that he was well within his rights to stand his ground. He made it worse rather than enforcing the law.”

Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said Tuesday evening that he wasn’t aware of what the officer said.

“I’m not going to get into what he said or she said,” Armstrong said. “I would think that someone would have to understand and know the rules of the do’s and don’ts of the poll watchers and the workers. I’ll be the first to say that I’m not versed on what workers and watchers can and cannot do. That is certainly something that I would request from the local officials.”

Patten said deputies arrested Leon Atkins and Leon Atkins’ father who is the current Tax Assessor, Reynolds Atkins, later came to the sheriff’s office and posted bail.

“He came over to the sheriff’s office and used racial slurs while he was in the process of getting him out of jail,” Patten said. “… People were disgusted by his choice of words. During elections, we see the best and we see the worst of people. This election has really shown where we need to grow in this community. Racism and hate have no place in our community, no matter who’s mouth it is spewed from.”

Leon Atkins said his father was upset but never made any racial comment.

“There was no racism considered or said,” Leon Atkins said, “ — only the purpose of ensuring an honest election. My dad was upset but never said anything racist.”

Douglas Atkins said Leon Atkins was one of two people he appointed to be a poll watcher, adding both were asked to leave by poll workers.

Douglas Atkins also said both workers witnessed people voting without showing their ID’s.

“A poll watcher is allowed to stand there out of the way and hear and see everything that is going on,” Douglas Atkins said. “They put them so far across the room where they couldn’t hear or see anything. … (Leon Atkins) said he wasn’t standing within six feet of the poll workers. They said the workers were extremely rude to them and motivated them to be confrontational while they were definitely trying not to be.”