Opinion ID: 864855
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the special tribunal properly

Text: DETERMINED THAT A SPECIAL PRIMARY ELECTION SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 31 ¶47. Waters asserts that the special tribunal committed reversible error in finding that there was such a radical departure from our election laws by the HCDEC so as to require a special primary runoff election between Waters and Gnemi. A. Whether there were violations of Mississippi Election Laws? ¶48. The crux of this case involves Gnemi’s allegations concerning the HCDEC’s method of handling the District 3 precinct ballot boxes after the first primary election. ¶49. Gnemi testified at the special tribunal hearing that when he and Waters appeared at the courthouse for the examination of the ballot boxes on August 22, 2003, instead of being presented with the six metal precinct boxes, safely secured with metal locks, they were presented with two cardboard boxes with the election materials from all six precincts commingled in those two boxes. When Gnemi made inquiry as to why the election materials were not in the metal precinct boxes, Hart informed him that the Election Commission members had emptied the contents of the six precinct metal boxes from District Three into the cardboard boxes because the metal boxes were needed for the second primary election to be held on August 26, 2003. Evidently the election materials were at least identifiable by precinct because Gnemi testified that during the course of the ballot box examination, as the examination of the materials from each precinct was concluded, Hart placed these materials in the appropriate metal precinct box and secured the box with double locks. ¶50. Wilbur Redmond, the District Three Election Commissioner for Holmes County, testified that he assisted in the conduct of the August, 2003 primary elections. This fact becomes significant since, absent an express agreement to the contrary, it is the county party 32 executive committee, not the county election commission, which is charged by law with the responsibility of conducting the primary elections. On this point, Redmond testified: Q. Tell us just a little bit about your duties briefly as an Election Commissioner? A. My duties are to get the boxes ready for and conduct election – general election and special election. Pulling the voter rolls. Uh, that’s about it.