Alabama: judge reconsidering his ruling in Guntersville mayoral election
The Huntsville Times reports: After about 45 minutes of arguments, Circuit Judge Tim Jolley said Thursday he expects to rule by Tuesday in a challenge to his March 31 order overturning the outcome of the Guntersville mayor's race last summer. ...
Beard and defense attorney P.J. Harris argued that four thrown-out votes for Townson should be counted. One of them was cast by an elderly man who had testified he had leukemia and was at a hospital for tests on election day. ...
Jolley said state law does not allow medical tests as a reason for voting absentee but suggested that the man could have used being out of the county on election day as his reason for voting absentee. ...
A second thrown-out vote for Townson involved a man who used a document from Marshall Medical Center North as identification. Jolley ruled March 31 that did not constitute a governmental document and did not meet the 2003 voter identification law guidelines. Beard maintained Thursday the document is valid for voter ID.
Harris asked the judge to reconsider his decision not to count an absentee vote that was not properly numbered by voting officials.
A fourth ballot cited by Harris used a July 2004 natural gas bill as proof of identification and residency for an absentee ballot. He said that vote should have been counted because voters who used electric bills as identification were allowed to do so. -- Judge hears vote appeals
Disclosure: I wrotes some of the briefs filed on behalf of Mayor Townson.