At least temporarily, two White County citizens have succeeded in getting a candidate thrown off the June 28th primary ballot. Kathy Sands and Debbie Bunting filed the objection to Terry Abell’s re-election campaign following the filing of petitions March 7th – 14th. In their grievance, Sands and Bunting allege that Abell didn’t include a certificate of qualification at the time she filed as a candidate. Over the near two hour Election Board hearing, White County States Attorney Denton Aud, Circuit Clerk Kelly Fulkerson, and County Clerk Beth Sell heard testimony and were presented evidence though most of the time was spent trying to sort out what Aud called the “ambiguity of the statute”.
Ultimately, it’s a technicality as Abell wouldn’t be allowed to be the current Supervisor of Assessments were she not certified. Abell was able to show that her certification was being processed, but didn’t have the actual certification to file at the time she turned in the remainder of her paperwork. In the end, a unanimous decision was made in favor of the objectors. There will be a formal written ruling on Thursday afternoon at 1pm. At which time, Abell will have the opportunity to ask for a judicial review which could overturn the Electoral Board’s decision.
