DA seeks federal probe of Perry County vote

By: Associated Press | Alabama's13.com
Published: June 09, 2008

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Perry County prosecutor says he will ask the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate an unusually high turnout and potential absentee ballot problems during the June 3rd primary elections.

District Attorney Michael Jackson says he expects there will be federal and state observers in Perry County for the July 15th primary runoff after a federal observer reported that a candidate hung around a polling place much of the day Tuesday and helped some voters cast ballots.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman says there are 8,361 registered voters in the rural county, and there were 4,207 votes cast, which means 50.3 percent of eligible voters would have gone to the polls.

That gives Perry County a turnout rate that nearly triples the rate in counties like Marengo, where about 17.7 percent of voters cast ballots.

It's the latest in a line of voting problems that have plagued the small western Alabama county for decades, including a 1985 trial when three black leaders in Perry County were found not guilty of charges they altered absentee ballots.

DA seeks federal probe of Perry County vote

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