Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice E. Joseph Bleich has made a ruling in the election lawsuit filed by Caddo Parish sheriff candidate, John Nickelson.
That ruling came down Tuesday, Dec. 5. The judge ruled the results of the Nov. 18 runoff election, in which Henry Whitehorn defeated Nickelson by one vote, are declared void. It was further ordered a new runoff election shall be conducted. It’s expected that Whitehorn’s team will appeal this decision.
The ruling states “it was proven beyond any doubt that there were at least 11 illegal votes cast and counted” and that it is “legally impossible to know what the true vote should have been.”
The ruling goes on to highlight the following irregularities that affected the outcome of the runoff election:
Two people voted twice
At least five votes case by absentee/mail-in ballots which should not have been counted for failure to comply with the law
Four invalid votes cast by interdicted person who were unqualified voters
The judge stated “this new runoff election is necessary not only for the candidates, but also to ensure the public’s right to untainted election results.”