Macon-Bibb sheriff candidates who were DQ’d from the race are taking cases to court
Two disqualified candidates running for sheriff of Bibb County argue they were incorrectly tossed from the race.
Now they’re suing to get themselves back in the race.
The lawsuits, filed Monday by Ronald Rodgers and Marshall Hughes, say their disqualifications stemmed from a delayed delivery of fingerprints and background checks and they were unaware they needed to turn that information in. In separate lawsuits, each candidate has asked the court to reverse the disqualification and make sure they’re on the ballot.
In Rodgers’ case, the complaint alleges he had submitted documents for candidacy that confirm he met all of the requirements, and had previously had fingerprints and background checks done. He alleges the information was already in a database used by the Board of Elections before, during and after being challenged by one of the board’s members, Tom Ellington.
The board disqualified Rodgers last month after Ellington’s challenge.
The lawsuit filed by Rodgers says the board should only challenge the candidate’s qualifications as sheriff, not the lack of documents, according to state law. The lawsuit also says the decision to disqualify him “prejudices substantial rights” for considering something other than Rodgers’ qualifications.
Second candidate’s lawsuit
Hughes has asserted that his disqualification stems from “disparate treatment” by the Board of Elections compared to the treatment of another candidate, according to the lawsuit.
Similarly to Rodgers, the lawsuit says his qualifications as a sheriff were not considered; a board member challenged him for not producing fingerprints and background checks.
Before the challenge, Hughes asked election board supervisor Tomas Gillon if anything was required besides the paperwork he submitted for his candidacy. Gillon said Hughes only needed to turn in a financial disclosure statement, but didn’t say anything about fingerprints or background checks, according to the lawsuit.
Another candidate, DeAndre Hall, was notified by a representative that he was missing his fingerprints, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint says Hughes wasn’t told anything regarding those documents throughout the qualification period until he learned he was subject to disqualification for not submitting his fingerprints. He was told over the weekend, so he addressed the issue the following Monday.
He was still disqualified last month.
The lawsuit argues that, even though Hall didn’t request guidance while Hughes asked, their action was “an abuse of discretion.”
Will these cases be heard before Macon-Bibb election?
While both of the former candidates are requesting the courts to reverse the decision, they also want the courts to keep them on the ballot, to remove any notices of their disqualification, and to grant other remedies that the court deems favorable.
Additionally, Rodgers is requesting the courts to hear the case before early voting between April 29 and May 17. Every candidate in the race for sheriff is a Democrat this year, so the race will be decided in the May 21 primary election.
He also wants the Macon-Bibb Board of Elections to notify voters of the court’s decision and that he would still run for Sheriff. Hughes is requesting another election, should it be reasonable.
