Chancellor Finds for Plaintiffs, Orders Election Commission to Redouble Efforts

“Clearly erroneous”: That was the response from Election Commission attorney John Ryder after hearing Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins find for the plaintiffs — the NAACP and the Tennessee Black Voter Project — in the latest suit involving the Shelby County electoral process.

On the other hand, Alexander Wharton, attorney for the plaintiffs, cited Jenkins’ finding as “a victory for democracy” and a valuable signal to the electorate.

Citing state Code 2-2-109, which guarantees voter registration rights, Judge Jenkins ruled that, as plaintiffs argued,” irreparable harm” could befall potentially eligible voters among an estimated 4 to 6 thousand persons whose applications to vote, received in a final rush of some 30,000 applications just before the filing deadline of October 9th, have not been fully processed.

Jenkins ordered that the Election Commission redouble its efforts to compile an accurate list of the affected applicants, locate and contact the persons involved so as to give them a chance to correct their applications, and post daily updates on the information and the progress made in completing the applications. Ryder, who maintained that the judge’s order was unfulfillable, said the commission would file an appeal with the state Court of Appeals on Friday.

Read more: https://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2018/10/25/chancellor-finds-for-plaintiffs-orders-election-commission-to-redouble-efforts