Posted on 02/01/2006 8:48:55 PM PST by LdSentinal
A federal judge says Tennessee Senators can vote to void Ophelia Ford’s election victory, but first they have to come up with a procedure to judge election disputes.
The ruling was the news former District 29 candidate Terry Roland has been waiting for.
“The senate can go ahead with what they need to do which void this election, because calling it tainted is just lightly,” says Roland.
Judge Bernice Donald says the senate can vote to void Ophelia Ford's election win. In her ruling, Donald wrote, "This court does not have jurisdiction to decide an election dispute...as that issue is textually committed to the Tennessee Senate."
Judge Donald also wrote that the Tennessee Senate must come up with a clear definition of how to count votes and how to decide election disputes. Ford's lawyer says that means the senate will have a tough time finding a reason to oust Ophelia Ford.
”We are confident that any further action to oust Senator Ford will not meet constitutional muster, “ says David Cocke.
Ophelia Ford didn't respond to questions about the ruling.
Her outspoken opponent says he's unconcerned about new rules and regulations. He says the longer the senate waits to vote on voiding the special election, the more time he has to prove the election he lost was crooked.
“If they put it off we'll just work that much harder and find that much more stuff, “ says Roland.
A lawyer for Tennessee senators says they're happy with this ruling, even though it sounds like the senate has a lot of sorting out to do when it comes to rules and regulations. He says they may vote on voiding Ford's election victory as early as next week.
Eyewitness News will stay on top of this story and we will let you know as soon as the senate makes it's next move.
She's a Dem, isn't she?
She's from Shelby County, the epicenter of "voting irregularities" in all of Tennessee.
And from the Ford family, the epicenter of "candidate integrity irregularities."
LOL.
Very true as well.
This might be worse news for Jr. in his US Senate run. If auntie O hangs in there, the raggedy, sordid machine Harold needs for his own election might be disclosed and impaired.
We can only hope.
[Dead] Walking in Memphis [Dales]
Gotta love the Tennessee Ford family. The Associated Press reports that...
... in the special election won by state Sen. Ophelia Ford by 13 votes...
... several ballots were cast in the name of dead people...
... in a precinct where the part-time Shelby County Election Commission inspector found "no problems" and that it was a "good operation"...
...it was revealed that said inspector is a felon, having pled no contest to forgery charges...
... which the Election Commission chairman said "Just the mere fact that there’s a forgery ... in my opinion should not arbitrarily exclude one for life particularly if state law allows it"...
... but under Tennessee law, it does not allow it; no voting rights and no being a poll worker...
... and the aforementioned inspector who was a felon and a forger and who was ineligible to be a poll worker and who found no irregularities despite dead people voting...
... also works as a funeral director at the Ford Funeral Home, which is owned by...
...relatives of Ophelia Ford.
Hmmm...the Florida legislature did come up with rules on how to count votes..wrote 'em down too...recounts had to be done within a few days...the courts said that wasn't good enough...
From your keyboard to God's ear. We can only hope so. I hope Terry Roland wins, he's a good guy. IF not then ford becomes my senator...I got redistricted into john's district.
Does anybody know if "Ophelia's district" uses paper ballots or electronic or mechanical voting machines? In Davidson County, we've used electronic machines for at least 20 years (punch the blinking candidate lights and then punch the VOTE button). Surely Memphis is the same. If there are no paper ballots, there's no RECOUNT to be done, but simply a check on the validity of each voter. Is there a way to tie a voter to vote with the electronic machines? I don't recall that they key in a ballot number when you step in the booth.
The election commission has already found 10 votes to be thrown out including dead people and felons. Terry Roland's team says there are dozens of people who voted and live out of the district, but the election commission has not released any information on whether they've verified addresses or not.
She is Whitey Ford's aunt. This won't help Whitey in his senate race, that's for sure.
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