Opinion ID: 1761474
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Feb 4, 1952 (57 So. (2d) 166)

Text: Ethridge, J. Trahan v. Simmons, 1941, 191 Miss. 353, 2 So. (2d) 575, and Simmons v. Crisler, 1944, 197 Miss. 547, 20 So. (2d) 85, involved contests of special elections for an office, and it was there held that a contestant has the burden of proving the existence of illegal votes, and that there were enough of such votes cast for the contestee as to change the result of the election. Appellee says that the court erred in the instant case in applying that rule to a party primary election for a nomination; that under Hayes v. Abney, 1939, 186 Miss. 208, 188 So. 533, and Harris v. Stewart, 1940, 187 Miss. 489, 193 So. 339, the rule as to primaries does not place this burden upon a contestant, and that under those cases the contestant need only show that there were enough illegal votes to change the result or leave it in doubt. However, the rule requiring the contestant to meet the above-stated burden of proof has been applied in primary election cases since the enactment of the Corrupt  Practices Act of 1935, Code 1942, Section 3158 et seq. Hickman v. Switzer, 1939, 186 Miss. 720, 191 So. 486; Houston v. Baldwin, Miss., 54 So. (2d) 543, cited in our original opinion. A competing principle, set out in Code of 1942, Sec. 3167, is that where there has been such a substantial failure to comply in material particulars with the requirements of the Corrupt Practices Act that it is impossible to arrive at the will of the voters, the entire box may be thrown out or the court may order another election to be held. For example, in Hayes v. Abney, supra, the court found that there was a total departure from the statutory requirements by failure of the managers to have voters sign receipts for their ballots, and declared the primary election void. To the same effect are Briggs v. Gautier, 1943, 195 Miss. 472, 15 So. (2d) 209; May v. Layton, Miss., 56 So. (2d) 89. What constitutes such a substantial failure to comply in material particulars with the requirements of the statutes in a primary election, which would fall within the foregoing classification so as to require the throwing out of a box or calling a new election, depends upon the facts and circumstances in each particular case, including the nature of the procedural requirements violated, the scope of the violations, and the ratio of illegal votes to the total votes cast. For example, in May v. Layton, supra, 836 votes out of a total vote of 2213 were held to be illegal, and it was said that this result, by holding void more than one-third of the total votes cast, made it impossible to determine the will of the voters and constituted such a substantial failure to comply with the statutes as to require a new election. Appellee cites Harris v. Stewart, supra, as supporting his contention, but that case was decided upon its peculiar facts. It went off on a demurrer by the contestee to the contestant's petition, in effect admitting the truthfulness of the averments of the petition. Some of these were that there was a general practice and custom in the county to allow disqualified persons to vote, and that the managers  at the two challenged boxes not only knowingly permitted disqualified persons to vote but actually encouraged them to do so, assuring them in advance that their illegal votes would be received and counted. Such a substantial departure was within the rule of Hayes v. Abney. In the present case, there were 80 illegal votes, and a total vote of 1229, the illegal votes being only 6.5% of the total votes cast. We do not think that the present facts would warrant the court in saying that there is such a substantial failure to comply in material particulars with the statutes as to invalidate the election, as occurred in May v. Layton, supra, and only under such a state of facts is the contestant's burden of proof reduced from a showing that the contestee's illegal votes if eliminated would change the result, to proving only that enough illegal votes were cast to change the result or leave it in doubt. Appellee therefore failed to meet his burden of proof in contesting Walker's nomination. Suggestion of error overruled. McGehee, C.J., and Lee, Kyle and Arrington, JJ., concur.