Three Candidates Join VoterGA Lawsuit as Plaintiffs

Press Release
Tue. Nov. 21, 2006

2006 Election Candidates Join E-Voting Rights Suit

ATLANTA, GA – VoterGa, a diverse non-partisan coalition that organized an E-Voting rights lawsuit filed in Georgia during July of this year, announced today its intent to enjoin three 2006 election candidates as plaintiffs to the suit. Included are a Democrat, Republican and an independent write-in candidate who are questioning the 2006 primaries, run-off and general election, respectively.

Mary Wilhite, a Republican who took first in a House District 22 primary but was edged in a run-off by 35 votes, stated she was offered a recount that could not truly be performed. “Our Cherokee County Elections Director agreed to a recount because the victory margin was only 1% but state procedures simply re-accumulate previous totals. No ballots were ever recounted because no ballots actually exist. The process was completed in about a half hour with no change in results.”

Woody Holmes, independent write-in candidate for Georgia House District 65, stated that on the day his election was certified, Fulton County reported he had only two votes. After he questioned the results, the next day the county changed the total to 217 but Holmes believes he got that many votes in a single precinct. He explained: "Our campaign went door-to-door and collected signatures of support from over 800 voters, we distributed 250 yard signs, mailed 4000 campaign pieces to homes in the district, operated a phone bank to get out the vote as well as using automated phone calling to reach out to voters. My message was grounded on issues important to the voters in the district, noting the differences between me and my opponent who was the only named candidate on the ballot."

Former Democratic State Senator, Donzella James, who ran for the 13th U.S. Congressional District, questioned the results of her primary. “There is no way for candidates to truly determine if they won or lost. We must insist on machines and procedures to ensure that every vote is recorded accurately just as it was cast. Even if there is little that can be done about our races this year, all Georgia voters and future candidates will benefit from restoring accountability to our elections.”

The landmark lawsuit challenges the legality and constitutionality of Georgia’s current voting method including the audit trail pilot. It charges that recounts are not currently possible, ballots and people were unconstitutionally removed from elections, electronic voters are not afforded the equal protection given absentee voters and that machine accuracy cannot be determined on Election Day with or without the pilot. The lawsuit can be viewed at the web site, www.voterga.org.

Media Contacts: Garland Favorito (404) 664-4044