Disqualified Macon County Sheriff candidate wins majority of votes | What happens now?
Disqualified Macon County Sheriff candidate wins majority of votes | What happens now?
According to the Secretary of State, disqualified Democratic candidate Jeffrey Canady received nearly 600 more votes than Republican candidate Richard Martin.
MACON COUNTY, Ga. — A Macon County Sheriff candidate who was disqualified from the race last week received the majority vote Tuesday night.
It may be the most surprising sheriff race Macon County has ever seen, and according to the results on the Secretary of State’s website, Democratic candidate Jeffrey Canady received nearly 600 more votes than Republican candidate Richard Martin.
Board of Elections supervisor Tarshea Riley says the results won’t be certified until Tuesday, Nov. 12. The board disqualified Canady from the race for the second time last week, just a few days before Election Day.
Canady lacks the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) certification to serve as sheriff. His certification was revoked after pleading guilty to using excessive force against a student in 2019.
Riley says the board is expected to meet this week to determine how to apply a judge’s court order from last week to Tuesday night’s results.
A judge said Canady’s votes must be reported to the state, but the board’s code contradicts that and says any vote for a disqualified candidate will not count.
State House District 150 Representative Patty Marie Stinson, who just won re-election, has been advocating for a fair election on Canady’s behalf since he was first disqualified in August.
“There’s no law in Georgia that gave the board of elections of Macon County the legal authority to disqualify him,” Stinson said. “Yes, they may quote a code that states that the election superintendent can call for such hearing to determine disqualification, but you must provide a basis of your disqualification. It’s such a shame that they’re having to continue to go down that path when the board of elections does not have any legal grounds to do what they have done. “
Canady’s lawyer Eddie Davis says he filed another appeal to the judge to reinstate him as a candidate yet again.
Meanwhile, Richard Martin confirmed with 13WMAZ that he was accepted into the Sheriff’s-elect training following last night’s results.
“The judge ordered for the votes to be counted. So I appreciate the voters of Macon County getting out and voting and casting their votes,” Stinson said. “I have urged, again, the Macon County Board of Elections to do the right thing according to the law of Georgia.”