LaGrange officials fixing ballot error for city council race

LaGrange, Ga. (WTVM) - Some Georgia voters are worried after officials noticed an error on submitted ballots for a city council race in LaGrange. Earlier, we spoke to one of those candidates running and to election officials about how they’re fixing the issue.

The first person I talked to was the Troup County NAACP, who say they’re on top of getting this error fixed and making sure it NEVER happens again. Other people say they were upset to hear about the mistake and some voters believe the best solution is to fire those in charge.

City officials say the incorrect ballot shows candidates running for District 2 in LaGrange on the city’s ballot for District 1. The special election was announced after former District 2 Councilman LeGree McCamey passed away in January. McCamey held the seat for 14 years before dying at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center at 63. It’s unclear what the cause of his death was. There are five candidates running for District two. One tells me they’re all worried about the outcome of the race. The Troup County board of elections says they immediately contacted state officials once they were made aware of the mistake.

“The confidence went down to all five that are running. It’s like going into the woods -- you don’t know where you’re going. This is going to make it worse. It’s going to make it a battle. Even who wins, it’s going to be confusion about who won,” said District 2 candidate Dr. Israel Prince Barsh.

“As soon as we were made aware of the error, we contacted the Secretary of State’s office. Upon their direction, they advised that it was too late to recreate the ballot and all the background information and advised us to move forward with the election,” said Troup Co. Board of Elections Chairman Bill Stump.

The Troup County Board of Elections says they were told to proceed with early voting as long as they made voters aware of the issue. In a letter posted on Facebook Monday, Chairman Bill Stump says illegal votes cast for District two will NOT COUNT. I also spoke to Mayor Pro Tem Willie Edmondson, who also represents District 2, who says there is no one to blame for the mistake besides the Troup County Board of Elections. Edmondson says he also suggests having checks and balances in place to prevent this from happening again.

Troup County’s Board of Elections Chairman admitted that his staff made a mistake but is working to fix the issue. Stump also says they have been given state procedures to follow to proceed. Anyone with questions can call their office at 706-883-1745.