Opinion ID: 577781
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Application of Section 5 to Candidate Defendants

Text: 30 While the court's dismissal of plaintiffs' motion was error, it was harmless error as to defendants-appellees Herndon, Lewis, Seymour, Fleming, Oliver, Greenway, Szabo, Teasley, Shirley and Dudley. These individuals were named as defendants by virtue of the fact that they, unlike appellant Barnett, were permitted to qualify for positions under the 1959 and 1988 systems of government, and therefore were not subjected to the limitations on candidate qualification that the Hart County Democratic Executive Committee imposed on other prospective candidates. 31 In United States v. Board of Commissioners of Sheffield, Alabama, supra, the Supreme Court held that section 5 applies to those political units that may exercise control over critical aspects of the voting process. 435 U.S. at 127, 98 S.Ct. at 977. Plaintiffs have never suggested that any of the individuals not subjected to the candidate qualification limitations imposed by the County Democratic Executive Committee exercised any control over the decision to limit qualification under the 1959 system to those who had qualified under the 1988 system. Thus, while appellees Bailey, in her official capacity as Hart County Superintendent of Elections, and McCurley, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Hart County Democratic Executive Committee, are indisputably subject to the requirements of section 5, the other appellees in this case are not subject to those requirements. They were in no position to ensure compliance with the statute or to exercise control over the voting procedures in Hart County. Their inclusion in this lawsuit is contrary to the most basic understanding of the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted to prevent those responsible for implementing changes in voting practices and procedures from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race. 42 U.S.C. § 1973. The language of the Voting Rights Act itself and the Supreme Court's decision in Sheffield clearly foreclose appellants' success on the merits of its section 5 claim vis-a-vis appellees Herndon, Lewis, Seymour, Fleming, Oliver, Greenway, Szabo, Teasley, Shirley and Dudley; accordingly, we affirm the district court's dismissal of plaintiffs' motion for attorneys' fees as it applies to those appellees. 10