County officials meet to clear the air following election dust-up

County officials meet to clear the air following election dust-up

Polling place deadline issues, vote suppression accusations lead to summit with Quorum Court, Election Commission

news@theeveningtimes.com

County Clerk Paula Brown and the Crittenden County Election Commission met this week to clear the air after Justice of the Peace Stacy Allen created a stir by accusing the Election Commission of being underhanded and deliberately trying to suppress voter turnout by changing polling place locations and not letting voters know on time.

Allen made the remarks at the June Quorum Court meeting and said that he was told by Brown that she only got the information three days before the May primary election.

By law, notices of polling place changes must be mailed out to voters within 15 days of the election. The Election Commission is responsible for getting the information to the County Clerk’s Office, who then mail notices out to the affected registered voters.

Election Commission members made it clear to Brown that they complied with the deadline — with time to spare — and asked her to correct Allen’s statements publicly.

“I’m trying to understand how Stacy Allen came in to that meeting and said we gave you notices of the polling places on a Thursday for an election to be held on a Tuesday,” said Election Commissioner Frank Barton.

The Election Commission moved polling sites in Sunset, Edmondson, and one from Wonder Junior High School to Pilgrim’s Rest church in West Memphis.

Allen and Justice Vickie Robertson claimed that moving the polling site from Wonder Junior High School to Pilgrim’s Rest caused confusion.

Barton explained to the Quorum Court that the Election Commission didn’t get the information to Brown earlier because of a mistake by Election Coordinator Mike Farrah, who was supposed to not wait for the official minutes from the Election Commission’s April 19 meeting to notify Brown of the changes.

Farrah got the polling place changes to Brown on May 2 which was still within the 15 day deadline of May 7. Brown and her staff stayed late that day to prepare the notices and got them in the mail on Friday, May 3.

Barton and Farrah both apologized to the Quorum Court for the short notice, but that did not stop Allen from blaming Election Commission Chairwoman of being underhanded.

Brown said she doesn’t know why Allen got the wrong impression.

“I don’t know what he thought,” Brown said. “I guess he took it as three days before the primary election.”

Barton said that everyone on the Quorum Court thought that they gave Brown the information three days before the election and questioned why she didn’t correct Allen.

“Did you realize he was mistaken at that meeting?”

Barton asked.

“I’m not pointing the finger at anyone,” Brown answered. “I didn’t tell Stacy that. I said I got it on a Thursday and we stayed to get it out. That’s what I said at the meeting. People are going to take it how they take it.”

“Well, Stacy was saying we got it out late because he talked to you,” Barton continued. “And you didn’t say anything about it to correct it.”

Veronica Brooks, the Democrat Party representative on the Election Commission, said she saw Allen and corrected him, but he would not listen.

“Stacy jumped me and he said they got you the information three days before the election,” Brooks said.

“I told him it was three days before early voting, not the election. He said ‘no, no, no. Paula said she got it three days before the election.’ I tried to tell him.

But he beat a dead horse into the ground.”

Brooks said the Election Commission got Brown the information on time and reiterated that there was nothing underhanded about it.

“Somebody needs to tell him that when he says “Election Commission,” that includes me too,” Brooks said. “What he said was just not true and I tried to explain to him that nobody is trying to do anything illegal. Our election coordinator is a good guy.

He is trying to do right. So I tried. I told him (Allen) that’s not the way it was.”

Election Commission Chairwoman Dixie Carlson told Brown that she needs to straighten Allen out over his remarks.

“We want to clear up our good name,” Carlson said.

“He called me underhanded. You heard that.

And he said we never had any trouble until I became chairman. He made it look like we missed the deadline. And we did not. We met all the deadlines.”

Brown said she would be happy to clarify to Allen what happened, but reiterated that she did not tell Allen that she only had three days to get the notices out before the election.

Early voting started May 7. The primary election was May 21.

“I don’t have a problem explaining,” Brown said.

“All I know is that we got it that Thursday and stayed and got them mailed out.”

Barton asked whether Brown was aware of the 15 day deadline.

“You have the same information we have about the dates,” Barton said. “Did you know that — that it is the date of the election and not early vote?”

Brown said she was under the impression the deadline was 15 days before early voting started.

“I thought it was when voting started,” Brown said.

“Well, therein lies part of the answer,” Barton said.

“There’s the mistake.”

Commissioners asked Brown to clear it up with Allen.

“Just tell Stacy,” Brooks said.

Brown said she doesn’t have a problem talking to Allen about the confusion.

“If there was a mistake, I’m woman enough to say there was a mistake,” Brown said. “And I will say that to Mr. Allen.

Maybe he took it to mean before the election date.”

Barton said he doesn’t mind people being upset with a decision he makes, but does have a problem when an elected official creates doubt about the election process.

“Nothing was wrong with the election process,” Barton said. “The 15 day deadline was met and met fairly easily. But we sat there at that meeting and it was clear that what was going on was an attempt to make the commission look like we gave your office information late, when we didn’t do that. And nobody said anything otherwise except us. You certainly didn’t say

anything.”

By Mark Randall