The Coffee County Election Commission will meet on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, at 4:00 PM in the Election Commission office in the Administrative Plaza at 1329 McArthur Street, Suite 6 in Manchester. The purpose of the meeting will be to appoint a new Administrator of Elections. Apparently, this will be done to revote for the administrator position in a public meeting.
In a story we first reported on October 9, the Coffee County Election Commission voted in an apparent secret ballot to give the position of Administrator of Elections to current Coffee County Government Purchasing Agent Andy Farrar. Current administrator Vernita Davis is set to retire at the end of the year.
In a letter to WMSR News, the Coffee County Republican Party expresses extraordinary displeasure with the conduct of the Coffee County Election Commission during the recent “secret vote” for a new Election Administrator. The local republican party says the procedure of the vote was in blatant violation of the Tennessee Open Records Act and Open Meetings Act (aka the Sunshine Law): elections of public officials must be open and transparent to the public.
While 21 prospective candidates submitted applications and 5 were selected as finalists, neither the identities of the applicants nor the finalists were made public. The Commission’s explanation was that the 21 applications were divided among the members for review. The local republican party is asking the question; was each application reviewed by all members of the Commission; or did each member review their assigned applications and individually determine eligibility?
After a secret vote was taken by the members of the Commission, Andy Farrar was declared the winner.
The Coffee County Republican Party says that Lee Pope, Open Records Counsel for the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, has issued a notice of complaints, ruled on the illegal and unethical activity vote and forwarded his findings to the Election Commission.
The Coffee County Republican Party is demanding that the secret vote be declared null and void, according to provisions in State Law; and further demands that a new election be held in accordance with State Law, in which the applicants and finalists, as well as the actual votes cast by the Commission members, are made available for public review.
WMSR News reached out to Coffee County Democrat Party Chairman Jimmy Bradford and he says he is sure the commission thought they were doing the right thing, but said he was glad someone brought it to the attention on the members, Bradford says he applauds the commission for correcting a possible violation of the law. He went onto say he was not involved in the process. Bradford said he thinks Farrar would do a good job.
On a side note early voting continues through Thursday.
Questions Arise After Revote Set for Coffee County Election Administrator
