Convicted felon cast ballot in Aug. 2 special election

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

The results of Henry County?s special election on supervisor districting are now official after the board of supervisors held the canvass on Tuesday morning.

County Auditor Shelly Barber said the election was pretty cut and dry, but there were a few issues that arose that caused the participation reports to differ from the official results.

There was one individual who registered to vote on election day who was a convicted felon. However, poll workers had no way of knowing she was a convicted felon, especially as she signed the registration form swearing she had not been convicted of a felony.

Barber reported that she turned the person?s registration over to the county attorney, as the voter is subject to perjury and a $7,500 fine and/or up to five years jail time if convicted.

However, as the ballot went into the voting machine with all the other ballots, there was no way to remove her ballot.

?Luckily the vote wasn?t close enough that this would make a difference,? said Barber.

There was also a voter who voted in Mt. Pleasant Ward 1 who actually lives in Ward 2. Barber said that this person had recently moved.

There was also an additional absentee ballot than was originally reported. This ballot came in on Aug. 3, but it was postmarked Aug. 1, so it is allowed to be counted.

There were 1,915 votes cast in the special election, out of 14,359 registered voters, making a 13.3 percent turnout rate. Plan one received 55 percent of the vote, plan two received 4 percent and plan three received 41 percent.

In other business, the supervisors held their weekly meeting with county engineer Bill Belzer, where the group discussed arranging a meeting concerning the county?s dirt roads.

Supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen said he had received comments from county residents who do not like what is happening with the dirt roads, and he suggested arranging a meeting with the whole board of supervisors, Belzer and concerned citizens to discuss the issue.

?I think you need to explain why you?re doing some of the things you do,? said Lindeen, noting it would also be a time for Belzer to hear residents? concerns.

Belzer suggested holding the meeting sometime between Old Threshers and the harvest, but Lindeen suggested doing it sooner than that. Olds was discussed as a possible location for the meeting, and Belzer also suggested Swedesburg, so that any new information on the drainage issues there could also be discussed.

Lindeen said he would contact the concerned parties to discuss a meeting time that would work best for them.

The supervisors also approved the purchase of rights of way for the upcoming projects on Fremont and Lexington avenues. The Fremont Avenue project required the purchase of two rights of way, one for $662 and another for $2,350. The Lexington Avenue project included purchasing rights of way on both sides of the road for $1,112.25.

Both projects will replace bridges with twin box culverts.