Senate unseats Ford, 26-6

AP ^ | 4/19/6 | LUCAS L. JOHNSON II

[SmithL]

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate voted 26-6 on Wednesday to unseat Sen. Ophelia Ford, accepting the recommendation of a committee that found her election "incurably uncertain."

The Senate, led by its GOP majority, voided the Memphis Democrat’s 13-vote victory over Republican Terry Roland in a September special election after a federal judge on Tuesday declined to intervene.

An investigative committee, which has been at work since late last year, recommended Ford be ousted after finding the election results were "incurably uncertain" because of 12 improper ballots. Two were cast in the names of voters and others came from felons and people from outside Senate District 29, the committee said.

Ford has contended the move is motivated by the Republicans’ slim 18-14 majority in the Senate.

This is the second time the Senate voted to void the election, but U.S. District Judge Bernice Donald stopped a similar effort in January after Ford sued. Donald ruled that the senators must follow consistent, statewide standards for invalidating ballots before overturning an election.

When Ford went back to Donald this week to stop Wednesday’s vote, the judge declined to intervene, saying she lacked enough information on the Senate committee’s procedures.

Ford wasn’t immediately available for comment on the vote. But her lawyer has said she would file a new petition with the court if the Senate voted to oust her.

[MplsSteve]

26-6?

Sounds like a number of Dems defected and voted for removal.

Good.

[Kenny Bunkport]

Ford has contended the move is motivated by the Republicans’ slim 18-14 majority in the Senate.

Yeah, that's why 8 Democrats apparently voted to oust her.

[oyez]

We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop. After the Ford Family is entitled to this seat. Which one of the Fords will go ballistic in front of the news cameras tonight and scream racism?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm in Memphis often and have followed this story since last year. Tennessee courts should prepare for a decade of litigation over this...

[Coldwater Creek]

Wouldn't be a newscast in Memphis without a Ford yelling racism!!!!!!!!1

[proudpapa]

... motivated by the Republicans’ slim 18-14 majority...

Since when is having 56% considered a slim majority?

[Kenny Bunkport]

The one thing Democrats do best is lie.

[buck61]

Harold Ford Jr. will come to her rescue, ha, ha. That sap, I hope will be defeated soon by the good people of Tn.

[SouthTexas]

Ford has contended the move is motivated by the Republicans’ slim 18-14 majority in the Senate.

Vote was 26-6, very suspicious.

[newzjunkey]

Bizarre. Good luck with the new election. Let's hope the margin is wider.

[Coldwater Creek]

I just heard Jr. on the radio. He is furious, and sick and tired of people trying to tie him too his family political troubles. HAHAHA

[elcid1970]

The "lite 'n' brite" Harold Jr. is not amused.

The Fords dynasty of Memphis are not amused.

There will be consequences, O you of the violent majority.

[Fledermaus]

Good, I hate the Fords. They are all a bunch of crooks.

Go whine somewhere else Harold Jr.- you aren't going to win the senate race either.

[SmithL]

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=33&screen=news&news_id=49270

Senate voids Ophelia Ford election

By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com
April 19, 2006
 

Updated 5:38 p.m. Posted: April 19, 4:05 p.m. CDT
Sen. Ophelia Ford was ousted from the state Senate today, but she vowed to return.

The Senate, voting 26-6, found Ford’s narrow, 13-vote election victory “incurably uncertain and untrustworthy” for it to stand after finding at least 12 illegal votes.

Ford (D-Memphis), who remained silent while the Senate had minimal debate about voiding the election, gave a speech at her desk following a 10-minute recess after the vote to void her election.

Five other senators, including Nashville Senators Thelma Harper and Joe Haynes, joined Ford in voting to uphold her election.

Ford said her attorney would be back in court Thursday in asking for an injunction and claimed she could return next week. If she’s unsuccessful, Ford said she would win in November’s general election, saying, “I will definitely be back here come January.”

“It’s difficult for me to receive my Republican colleagues, to be so very hard and not really be fair in the process, and then my Democratic colleagues that went along with it too,” Ford said on the Senate floor. “I just have to say that today.”

Terry Roland, the Republican who lost to Ford, will likely be appointed by the Shelby County Election Commission to replace Ford. That commission next meets May 8.

For more on the story, see Thursday’s City Paper.

• Read this article online:
  /index.cfm?section=33&screen=news&news_id=49270

Copyright 2000-2004, The City Paper LLC.

[proudpapa]

Vote was a close, narrow, slim 26-6, very suspicious, indeed.

[SmithL]

From WKRN-2, Nashville

[April 19, 2006, 6:19 pm]

"Senate Votes To Oust Ford"

Senator Ophelia Ford told News 2 she will be back following Wednesday’s vote on last year’s election.  Ford uttered, “I will be back” after the State Senate tossed out her razor thin win to fill her indicted brother's seat last year.  Seven months ago, Ford squeaked by her Republican rival by 13 votes, but a Senate investigative committee found all kinds of red flags in the ballot box.

The committee, which has been at work since late last year, said the election results were "incurably uncertain" because of voting by ineligible voters, including felons and nonresidents of Senate District 29. Two ballots were cast in the names of dead people.

The decision to oust Ford was one of its own for the first time since reconstruction.  Senate Republican leader Ron Ramsey led the effort to expel Ford because of voter irregularities.  The man who may benefit from this is Republican challenger Terry Roland who lost to Ford last fall.  Barring legal action, it is now up to the Shelby County Commission to pick the new Senator.

Ford told news 2 Wednesday she plans to be in federal court Thursday, challenging thevote.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Since when is having 56% considered a slim majority?

Whenever Republicans have a majority the media consider it a "slim majority."

[popdonnelly]

This family is starting to look like the Kennedys. A sense of entitlement, like the Bonapartes in France.

[BlackElk]

If, as reported here, there are 32 senators: 18 Republicans and 14 Democrats, and the vote was 26 to expel her and 6 to retain her, then 8 of 14 Democrats voted to expel her if the Republicans cast 18 votes to expel her. The vote was only close among Democrats and even a majority of them voted to kiss Ophelia goodbye or kick her out or whatever.