Democrat Henry Whitehorn, who was declared the winner, has said he will appeal the ruling for the race in Caddo Parish, one of Louisiana’s most populous parishes
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A judge has voided the result of a Louisiana sheriff’s election that was decided by a
Nickelson, who challenged the election result, said via social media that he was grateful for the ruling, which he called “a victory for election integrity.”
It is the country’s second local election this year in which a judge has voided the result, after a judge last month ordered a redo of a Democratic mayoral primary in Connecticut’s largest city due to possible ballot stuffing, a case that fueled conspiracy theories pushed on social media.
The topic of election integrity has also been at the forefront of national politics after former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election.
The one-vote margin in the Caddo Parish sheriff’s race also put a spotlight on Louisiana’s recount process. It is the only state that continues to use paperless touchscreen voting machines, which do not produce an auditable paper trail that experts say is critical to ensure results are accurate.
Louisiana’s mail-in absentee ballots currently constitute the state’s lone auditable paper trail that can be tallied again and checked for errors. Absentee ballots accounted for about 17% of the vote in the Caddo Parish race.
Election officials including Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin have reiterated that the state’s elections are secure and there are checks and balances to ensure voting integrity.
Louisiana has been trying to replace the paperless machines for the past five years, but that was delayed after allegations of a rigged bidding process.
States’ recount abilities proved highly important during the 2020 presidential election, when multiple battleground states conducted recounts and reviews that confirmed President Joe Biden’s victory.
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