Governor will set Hinds County special election date

By Aaron Lampley | Originally published by Mississippi Today

The date for the special election between David Archie and Anthony “Tony” Smith for the Hinds County District 2 supervisor seat is uncertain after a judge changed a recent ruling.

In an amendment filed Thursday, Special Judge Barry Ford said the election date — which was set for July 14 — was void and that Gov. Tate Reeves would have to set an election date under Mississippi law. The law says that the governor or lieutenant governor shall call a special election for the office or offices involved.

Ford said in the ruling he hopes the governor will keep the same date that had been set by the Hinds County Election Commission.

Archie, the incumbent who lost to Smith by nearly two to one in the 2023 Democratic primary, sued Smith and the Hinds County Democratic Party over allegations of fraud and election tampering. What ensued was a multi-year legal battle over the matter.

The amendment comes one day after Smith filed an appeal with the Mississippi Supreme Court about Ford’s initial ruling. His lawyer, Warren Martin, had said he was excited about the appeal, and believed it would be overturned by the Supreme Court.

In his original ruling on June 3, Ford ordered that a special election be held, stating that the will of Hinds County voters could not be determined due to various missing materials during Archie’s 2023 ballot box review. 

Archie said Monday his team is ready for the special election. Smith said he “trusts the system.”

Reeves had not set a new date as of Monday.

This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article