April 13, 2006

Vernon Saga Continues

"The ballots in Vernon's first contested election in 25 years remained locked at City Hall on Wednesday as the already bizarre election reached strange new heights.

Election experts and veteran city clerks described the small industrial city's decision to not count the ballots in the City Council race — pending resolution of legal disputes — as unprecedented. Critics, meanwhile, said it was the latest troubling sign that the election might be tainted.

"I've never heard of not counting ballots you have on hand," said Deborah Wright, executive liaison to the Los Angeles County registrar. "But you know, Vernon kind of keeps falling into this category of behavior you just don't find legal citations for. I don't suppose it's illegal, but it's very, very strange."

But Angelina Reyes, city clerk in Hayward, Calif., and other cities for more than 20 years, said she believes the city was required to immediately count ballots unless it published a notice of the delay beforehand.

"Usually you go to the election code as the bible, and it says as soon as the polls close, the semi-official count must begin," Reyes said. "Did they publish a notice [that] they were not going to count the ballots? City clerks are supposed to be nonpartisan and neutral."

The challengers immediately called for a federal investigation into the election, suggesting that the delay occurred because the three incumbents who have been in office for as long as 50 years worried that they might lose."

The city clerk, and other city officials declined to comment Wednesday.

Posted by Randy Riddle at April 13, 2006 08:51 AM