Clemons will challenge 2-vote loss to Waltman

Incumbent Democrat Alderman-at-Large Leroy Clemons will challenge his two-vote loss to Republican James Carson Waltman, he reaffirmed this week.

Waltman had 670 votes to Clemons’ 668, after election officials tallied absentee and affidavit ballots last week in complete but uncertified results from last Tuesday’s election.

“If I had lost by a greater margin, I wouldn’t have said anything,” Clemons said. “But when losing by just two votes, I think I need to explore some things. We tossed out 17 affidavit ballots and I want to challenge how some of that was done. I think they were done wrong and the process was flawed.”

Waltman declined to comment on the election until after the results are certified. 

Officials have until this Friday, June 18 to certify the election results.

Clemons said he believes people were being told by poll workers to vote in the wrong place.

“Before the election, I got a copy of the voter roll from City Hall,” Clemons said. “If people called and asked where they were supposed to vote, we would look their names up and tell them where to go.”

Clemons said when the voters in question showed up at the polls, the poll workers were unable to find their names at that precinct, and would send them to another. When their names were not on the roll at the other precinct, they would vote on an affidavit ballot. He said he was in contact at the time with several of those voters by phone.

Clemons said there were 24 affidavit ballots total, including 14 in Ward 4. He said 13 of the 14 were thrown out and most because they voted at the wrong precinct.

“When we got up there Wednesday, they were in the precinct we initially sent them to,” Clemons said.

Philadelphia Municipal Election Commissioner Harold Richardson was present last Wednesday, June 9, to count affidavit ballots. The other two municipal election commissioners, Janice Payne and Eva Tisdale, however, did not show up for the Wednesday county.

“Mrs. Payne called me and said she had a doctors appointment,” Richardson said. “She couldn’t make it, and I never heard anything out of Mrs. Tisdale.”

Clemons questioned the affidavit counting process.

“He was the only one there of the election commission,” Clemons said. “He was the only one that was there Wednesday. He made all of the decisions as far as what votes were rejected and which votes were accepted.”

Last Tuesday night’s ward-by-ward totals for the Alderman-at-Large position, including absentee ballots, showed the total at 662 for Clemons and 667 for Waltman. Those ward-by-ward totals were never updated with last Wednesday morning’s count.

During last Wednesday’s affidavit vote count, Clemons said he was never told how many affidavits were included or how many were rejected.

Richardson said he was assisted by members of the Neshoba County Election Commission and Circuit Clerk employees.

“I asked them to help me because I had to count those affidavit ballots and you have to have a county election commission or a circuit clerk computer to do it,” Richardson said adding the computer system is needed to verify the affidavit ballots. 

“We looked those things up and they told me what the problem was and I told them whether to count it or not to count it. All they did was look them up.”

After the final affidavits were counted, Clemons said Richardson told him nine were accepted and six of them went to Clemons and three went to Waltman making the total Clemons 668 to Waltman’s 670.

Once the affidavits ballots were counted, the updated ward totals were not made public. Materials were placed in a sealed envelope and locked until the commission reconvenes to certify the results which must be done by the end of the day Friday.

Richardson said he could not remember how many affidavits were submitted, accepted or rejected but deferred to Clemons’ recollection.

“I’m sure he (Clemons) is probably right because he was more interested in the total than I was,” Richardson said. “I was trying to get them counted. He is probably right. I don’t know what the total was.”

Clemons said he does not believe the process was transparent.

“They were not very cooperative on Wednesday when we did the affidavits as far as them being open about letting me see what was going on,” Clemons said. “We don’t know. At this point, it looks like it is headed for a court battle.”

Clemons said he plans to complete paperwork to contest the election within 10 days. 

“I’m not being a sore loser but I think the way they went about that was wrong,” Clemons said. “I told Mr. Waltman I had no problems with him. There are things in the process that need to be addressed.”