By Don Rutledge
FPS Associate Editor
October 27, 2009
A Carrollton Councilwoman isn’t very happy with the Carroll County Board of Elections or its Director.
At a special meeting Monday morning in the Board of Elections office, Sharon Ott’s request for reconsideration of two petition rejections was denied.
Ott says she plans to file a request under the Freedom of Information Act regarding her petition rejections.
“I want to know how many petitions have been denied in Carroll County since a new law went into effect in 2002 requiring candidates to withdraw their original petition - which had been rejected - and filed as write-in candidates,” Ott told The Free Press Standard following Monday’s meeting.
She said at the meeting she plans to pull phone records to check the date the director made a phone call to her house telling her her original petition was rejected.
Ott claims she was not informed her original petition for village council was rejected due to an insufficient number of valid signatures until Aug. 25 which did not give her time to get the needed signatures for approval of her petition since the filing deadline was Aug. 20.
However, Christine Vernier, director of elections, claims she called Ott at her residence Aug. 17 and left a message with Ott’s son to call her.
Ott claims she was never told by Mrs. Vernier that she was required to withdraw her original petition before filing as a write-in candidate. Subsequently, Ott’s write-in petition was also rejected due to her not following the 2002 law which required candidates to withdraw their original petitions.
Ott said if she learns there were no phone calls made to her on the 17th of Aug., “you can expect to see me back because there were untruths told in here right down the line and that should not be - and you people hired the people that work here. Therefore I guess I could hold you responsible for people that are under your employment,” Ott said before departing Monday.
Ott also claimed a candidate pamphlet she received does not give any instructions about withdrawing original petitions that are rejected before filing a write-in petition.
She said she did not receive very good cooperation from the Secretary of State’s office when she called to complain about her treatment in the Carroll County office.
In question on Ott’s original petition were the names of Randy Reed and Yvonne Reed of 156 4th St. SE, Carrollton.
According to the elections board, the signature of Randy Reed did not match his signature on the registration form. Also, the name of Yvonne Reed was written below the 19th (last) line on the petition was crossed off and the address was dittoed.
Subsequently, Ott said she came to the Board of Elections and asked the director what she could do since her original petition was rejected. “I was told I could file as a write-in candidate, which I did, but was not told I had to withdraw my original petition,” Ott told the Board.
She said she also paid her $30 fee again and assumed she would qualify as a write-in candidate. However, she was later informed that her write-in petition was also rejected.
In announcing the Board’s decision Monday to uphold both petition rejections, Mrs. Glenda Carter, Board chairman, told Ott “we have tried to follow the law regarding both petitions.”
When questioned about the need for another motion rejecting the petitions, Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Donald R. Burns Jr. said a re-vote was not necessary.
Ott was appointed to Carrollton Village Council Jan. 28, 2008. |
