Posted on 08/13/2003 6:26:28 AM PDT by WKB
Irregularities at Holy Savior precinct affect Barbour, Gunn election
Voters in a Clinton precinct must return to recast their ballots for either incumbent state Rep. Jep Barbour of Yazoo City or Philip Gunn of Clinton.
Hinds County Republican Party officials have thrown out the Holy Savior Catholic Church precinct votes from last week's primary because more votes than registered voters were cast in the primary race.
The officials blame the problem on confusing split precincts created during redistricting. They plan to hold a revote in the precinct but have not set a date.
Without that precinct, results show Barbour with a 17-vote lead in the House District 56 race.
Democrat Paige Eaves Gill of Madison, who also qualified to run, has filed a termination report with the secretary of state's office, indicating she will not accept any more campaign donations.
She could not be reached for comment, but her move could mean she has withdrawn from the race, leaving the winner of the GOP primary unopposed in the general election.
Pete Perry, a member of the Hinds County Republican Executive Committee, stressed that the primary problems were not intentional. Sorting through the confusion, however, has been a draining ordeal, he said.
Both candidates "are really, really good folks to be working with," he said before a crowd gathered at the state GOP headquarters, where the party executive committee certified all but the Barbour-Gunn results.
Some candidates still face run-offs Aug. 26, including bank portfolio manager Tate Reeves and former Transportation Commissioner Wayne Burkes in the state treasurer's race.
"Thank you very, very much for your help and your support," Reeves told the crowd at GOP headquarters.
Burkes said that he, like Reeves, was campaigning to get voters back to the polls. "I'm cautiously optimistic," he said.
The party said Tuesday Reeves won 49 percent of the vote to Burkes' 31 percent.
The winner will face the candidate who emerges from a Democratic runoff between state Sen. Rob Smith and former state fiscal officer Gary Anderson. Reform Party candidate Lee Dilworth is also running in the Nov. 4 general election.
Agriculture commissioner candidates Roger Crowder and Max Phillips, both Republicans, are also headed for a runoff. The winner faces incumbent Commissioner Lester Spell, a Democrat, and Bob Claunch of the Reform Party.
The Mississippi Democratic Party meets at 4:30 p.m. today to certify results.
Party Chairman Rickey Cole said about 75 percent of the results have been reported.
Why not? It has come to the point that politicians only pay attention to voters....not taxpayers. That's a big disconnect in my view.
If you don't pay, you don't play. How much? I don't know, but it's past time that non-working, non-productive people get inordinate power in the selection of the government.
Kinda makes sense, considering the name of the precinct, doesn't it!!?
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