By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Sept. 18, 2003
A hearing for candidate Johnny Harpole's petition contesting the Aug. 26 sheriff's runoff election in Kemper County is set for 1 p.m. Monday.
Bill Ready Jr., Harpole's attorney, said today that he tried to reschedule the hearing date that was set by Earl Thomas, chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee. Ready said he has three days of depositions in a separate case beginning Monday that were scheduled a month ago.
But Thomas said he can't change the date, which he set on Monday, because more than 30 people are on the committee. Plus, he said, several witnesses already have been notified and have made plans to be off work that day.
Harpole's petition before the Democratic Executive Committee charges that convicted felons were allowed to vote, sheriff's deputies took inmates to the polls and deceased voters' names appeared on precinct sign-in sheets.
Thomas said committee members are scheduled to meet Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the Kemper County Courthouse.
Harpole was a candidate in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary runoff election with incumbent Kemper County Sheriff Samuel Tisdale. In that election Tisdale won by 45 votes.