Opinion ID: 1788430
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Would the Election Outcome Have Been Different?

Text: There were thirty-five (35) absentee ballots voted in the Moorhead precinct, thirteen (13) of which were for Holder and twenty-two (22) for Rogers. Only two voters from the Moorhead precinct testified and only one of these votes was not in strict compliance with the statutes. There were fifty (50) absentee ballots voted in the Sunflower precinct, only one of which was for Holder. Regarding these voters who testified at trial, the Special Tribunal found that at least six of the absentee voters testified they asked that the person marking the ballot to vote for Holder ... yet, ... Holder received only one absentee vote. No further specifics were found by the Special Tribunal. The Special Tribunal did not find as a fact that x number of absentee ballots from the Sunflower and Moorhead precincts had been cast in violation of the Absentee Balloting Procedures Law. This Court does not sit as a fact-finder and more specific facts should have been found by the Special Tribunal. Nonetheless, a fair reading of the record reveals Holder presented proof beyond a reasonable certainty that twelve (12) of the absentee votes cast were illegal. Five (5) other witnesses presented had not voted by absentee ballot. Three (3) additional witnesses who had voted absentee arguably cast legal votes despite technical violations of the statutes; at the very least, the absentee ballots of two of the voters clearly reflected their will and proof to the contrary is lacking regarding the third. Rogers claims the tribunal erred in invalidating the absentee ballots of Sunflower and Moorhead as a class, rather than invalidating only those absentee ballots as to which voter fraud was proven. Holder appears to argue that there was indeed a finding of voter fraud, allowing invalidation of all absentee ballots. Furthermore, Holder contends that violations of mandatory provisions of the Mississippi election code warrant voiding the entire class of absentee ballots from the precincts at issue. Alternatively, Rogers claims the tribunal had authority only to void results of entire precinct or precincts implicated, including both absentee and poll votes, which would make Rogers the victor. Holder claims that this argument is contrary to Mississippi statutory and case law, which gives the tribunal discretion and power to void only the votes tainted by illegality and determine whether a special election is in order. Holder presented twenty witnesses, yet proved beyond a reasonable certainty only that twelve (12) absentee votes of the eighty-five (85) cast in the Sunflower and Moorhead precincts were illegal. Despite allegations of fraud so far-reaching that all absentee votes in these precincts were tainted, nothing further was proved. Three of the witnesses who cast absentee ballots apparently cast votes which reflected their will. There is no way to discern how many of the other absentee ballots cast did or did not reflect the will of the voters. As Holder failed to meet his burden of proving fraud beyond a reasonable certainty regarding all but twelve (12) of these votes, it would appear imprudent to declare all absentee ballot votes from the Sunflower and Moorhead precincts void, thereby disenfranchising those voters. Likewise, to void all absentee ballot votes and all poll votes from those precincts on the evidence presented appears an inappropriate response which would disenfranchise even more voters, regarding whom there were no allegations of fraud. If the twelve (12) illegally cast absentee votes are not counted in the tally, Rogers would still win the election, 3,716 votes to Holder's 3,680. Under this prong of Russell, no new election is warranted.