Election Commission attorneys ask judge to dismiss lawsuit

The Washington County, Tennessee Election Commission has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against it that seeks to rerun the November 5 Johnson City election. The lawsuit was filed by 3 school board candidates 1 commission candidate. They allege at least 50 illegal votes in a race where two city commission candidates were separated by just 38 votes. The suit came after it was discovered that Carter County election officials gave 44 people the wrong ballot. In its motion to dismiss, attorneys for the Washington County Election Commission argued since most of the alleged illegal votes were in Carter County, the candidates should have sued the Carter County Election Commission and that any alleged illegal votes in Washington County were not enough to alter the race. Attorneys also said the school board candidates do not have standing to sue since the alleged illegal votes could have only impacted the city commission race.