Current:Home > ContactEthermac Exchange-Judge voids result of Louisiana sheriff’s election decided by a single vote and orders a new runoff -ProfitSphere Academy
Ethermac Exchange-Judge voids result of Louisiana sheriff’s election decided by a single vote and orders a new runoff
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-06 11:44:37
BATON ROUGE,Ethermac Exchange La. (AP) — A judge has voided the result of a Louisiana sheriff’s election that was decided by a single vote and ordered a new runoff be held, saying there is evidence a handful of ballots were cast illegally.
Ruling this week, specially appointed Judge E. Joseph Bleich ordered a new election for sheriff in Caddo Parish, one of Louisiana’s most populous parishes, in the northwest corner of the state.
Democrat Henry Whitehorn had been declared the winner last month after topping Republican John Nickelson by the slimmest of margins, from more than 43,000 ballots cast. A recount produced the same result — a one-vote edge for Whitehorn.
Bleich said in his ruling that it was “proven beyond any doubt” that there were at least 11 “illegal votes cast” — making it “legally impossible to know what the true vote should have been.”
“Just one illegal vote could have affected the outcome, and here, multiple illegal votes were cast and counted,” Bleich wrote.
Bleich said at least five absentee mail-in ballots were missing a required witness signature and should not have been counted.
In addition, two people voted twice and four votes were cast by unqualified people, such as individuals incarcerated for a felony conviction, Mike Spence, the Caddo Parish clerk of court, confirmed to The Associated Press following the recount.
“Human mistakes were made on election day,” he said.
The secretary of state’s office declined to comment on the ruling or about improper ballots, saying it cannot discuss issues currently being litigated.
Whitehorn has said he will appeal the ruling.
“The significance of a single vote cannot be underestimated,” he said in a statement. “Overturning an election because the winner won by one vote is essentially saying, ‘Every vote matters, except if the win is by one.’”
Nickelson, who challenged the election result, said via social media that he was grateful for the ruling, which he called “a victory for election integrity.”
It is the country’s second local election this year in which a judge has voided the result, after a judge last month ordered a redo of a Democratic mayoral primary in Connecticut’s largest city due to possible ballot stuffing, a case that fueled conspiracy theories pushed on social media.
The topic of election integrity has also been at the forefront of national politics after former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
The one-vote margin in the Caddo Parish sheriff’s race also put a spotlight on Louisiana’s recount process. It is the only state that continues to use paperless touchscreen voting machines, which do not produce an auditable paper trail that experts say is critical to ensure results are accurate.
Louisiana’s mail-in absentee ballots currently constitute the state’s lone auditable paper trail that can be tallied again and checked for errors. Absentee ballots accounted for about 17% of the vote in the Caddo Parish race.
Election officials including Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin have reiterated that the state’s elections are secure and there are checks and balances to ensure voting integrity.
Louisiana has been trying to replace the paperless machines for the past five years, but that was delayed after allegations of a rigged bidding process.
States’ recount abilities proved highly important during the 2020 presidential election, when multiple battleground states conducted recounts and reviews that confirmed President Joe Biden’s victory.
veryGood! (123)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Michigan state trooper wounded, suspect killed in shootout at hotel
- How Taylor Swift Celebrated Her Enchanting Birthday Without Travis Kelce
- Former British soldier to stand trial over Bloody Sunday killings half a century ago
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- University of Arizona announces financial recovery plan to address its $240M budget shortfall
- Firefighters rescue dog from freezing Lake Superior waters, 8-foot waves: Watch
- How Shohei Ohtani can opt out of his $700 million contract with Los Angeles Dodgers
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Hiker rescued after falling 1,000 feet from Hawaii trail, surviving for 3 days
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Federal prosecutors to retry ex-Louisville police officer in Breonna Taylor civil rights case
- Earliest version of Mickey Mouse set to become public domain in 2024, along with Minnie, Tigger
- Amazon won’t have to pay hundreds of millions in back taxes after winning EU case
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Virginia 4th graders fall ill after eating gummy bears contaminated with fentanyl
- Earliest version of Mickey Mouse set to become public domain in 2024, along with Minnie, Tigger
- Shawn Johnson Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Husband Andrew East
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
Congo’s presidential election spotlights the deadly crisis in the east that has displaced millions
Australia cricketer Khawaja wears a black armband after a ban on his ‘all lives are equal’ shoes
Right groups say Greece has failed to properly investigate claims it mishandled migrant tragedy
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Use of Plan B morning after pills doubles, teen sex rates decline in CDC survey
The European Union is sorely tested to keep its promises to Ukraine intact
Putin questions Olympic rules for neutral Russian athletes at Paris Games