A Louisiana judge has nullified an election marred by fraud, where the Democratic candidate claimed victory by a single vote. Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice E. Joseph Bleich, ruling on Tuesday, declared the one-vote victory invalid due to illegal votes and mandated a new election.
In the contested race for Caddo Parish sheriff in November, Democrat Henry Whitehorn supposedly defeated Republican John Nickelson by a single vote out of over 43,000 ballots. The judge’s decision emphasized that it was incontrovertibly proven that at least 11 illegal votes were cast and counted, making it legally impossible to determine the accurate vote count.
BREAKING: Judge Orders New Election For Caddo Parish Sheriff In Shreveport Louisiana Where The Democrat Candidate Won By ONE VOTE After Dead People Turned Out To Cast Ballots! @ScottPresler Has Been All Over This Race! https://t.co/KC25hvMWFV
— John Basham (@JohnBasham) December 5, 2023
Nickelson initiated a legal action seeking a fresh election, as reported by KSLA. This decision followed an initial recount that failed to alter Whitehorn’s razor-thin victory margin. Bleich, who presided over the case, stepped in after three judges recused themselves due to affiliations with the candidates, according to the outlet.
The ruling outlined that two individuals cast multiple votes, and four votes were submitted by unqualified voters, as reported by KSLA. Additionally, the judge confirmed that at least five mail-in ballots were included in the count despite not meeting legal requirements. Both parties have until 9:56 a.m. on Friday to challenge Bleich’s decision, as per KSLA.
A comparable situation occurred in 1999 when the Louisiana State Supreme Court mandated a new election in the Red River Parish sheriff’s race, determined by just three votes. An investigation revealed that five votes had been erroneously tallied, according to KTBS.
