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Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
The Tennessee Democrat Party (TNDP) State Primary Board has overturned two school board primary elections in Hardeman County, which sits just east of Memphis, over concerns about election interference through absentee ballots.
The board voted to set aside the results of the May primary races in School Board District 1, Positions 2 and 3 after a large number of votes came in through absentee-by-mail ballots, prompting the two losing candidates to challenge the results.
According to Hardeman County Administrator of Elections Amber Moore, an individual began calling voters following the release of early voting numbers and requested they vote absentee. The unusual and notable shift in numbers on election day prompted residents to raise questions to the losing candidates, who in turn filed official challenges.
Bradford Polk, who lost his race by 23 votes, and Quintessa Stewart, who lost by 68 votes, appealed to the Hardeman County Democrat Party and sent letters to the TNDP challenging the results, and an investigation was launched by both the state party and later the Tennessee Division of Elections via Coordinator Mark Goins.
In a letter from the Hardeman County Democrat Party to Goins, the party stated, “In its review of the Hardeman County election contests, the [State Primary] Board found that there was a preponderance of evidence indicating that absentee ballots were tampered with and that such conduct may have been undertaken for fraudulent purposes. While the Board does not make criminal findings, it concluded that the integrity of the absentee voting process in these races has been compromised to such an extent that the certified results could not be relied upon as an accurate reflection of the will of the Democratic primary voters.”
The Board also expressed concerns about the August general election, noting that evidence had been presented showing an individual who has a previous conviction for voter fraud and who may have familial connections to one of the candidates against whom the challenge was levied was already working to collect or coordinate absentee ballot request forms from voters.
“Given the Board’s findings regarding absentee ballot irregularities in the primary election, these reports raise serious concerns about the possibility of continued interference with the absentee voting process. While the Board has not made any formal findings regarding conduct in the general election, we believe these concerns warrant the attention of the Division of Elections and any appropriate investigative authorities to ensure the integrity of future elections in Hardeman County,” the letter reads.
As a result, the two candidates who initially won the Position 2 and 3 races have been removed from the ballot by the Board, and Polk and Stewart will appear as the Democrat nominees. Polk will win the general election as there is no other candidate for his position and Stewart will face an Independent in August.
Following the findings and decision by the TNDP Primary Board, Goins is taking additional action on the matter to look for criminal activities and potentially refer the fraudster for prosecution.
“Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-6-207 prohibits any person convicted of voter fraud in any state from assisting another person with voting. The evidence before the Tennessee Democratic Party showed that an individual, who is legally prohibited from assisting voters because of a prior conviction regarding voter fraud in Tennessee, was involved in assisting absentee-by-mail voters in the two challenged school board races,” said Goins. “This individual should not be participating in any voter assistance activities. In addition to the Tennessee Democratic party overturning the election results, the State Division of Elections has requested a criminal investigation.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
WOW!! Dimmercraps policing themselves. RARE!!
In primary elections that there was a preponderance of evidence indicating that mail-in/absentee ballots were tampered with and that such conduct may have been undertaken for fraudulent purposes.
Hmmmm…… Where have I heard that before??????