The Free-Lance Star, who've already screwed up their facts once this week over this story, are being bombarded with phone calls and emails from angry Republicans who think they can overturn, via lawsuit, the election of Patricia Mancini to the Stafford School Board.
Republican Price Jett Jr. came very close to winning with a write-in campaign, but came up short. The Election Board has already been over the ballots, and threw out several votes with names on them like, "Charley Jett" and "Mr. Jett." In the recount process, it's even tougher. Even so, Patricia clearly won 51% of the vote. That's why write-in campaigns don't work!
Right now, the Republicans making a fuss over this, are citing various irregularities they observed on election day. Well, here's an irregularity witnessed by a fellow named Marc, which he wrote about in a comment over at Fred2Blue, that I hope the Free-Lance Star hears about:
How about pressing charges again Paul Milde and Price Jett Jr. for their antics at the Chatham precinct. They both, although Milde was persistently worse, were walking voters to the front door of the precinct. They were warned numerous times, by precinct workers, that they had to stay back a certain number of feet. They were warned so many times, I don't even remember. It got so bad that a worker from inside the polls came out and said that voters were complaining that Milde and Jett Jr. were walking them to the door and harassing them. At some point a poll worker came outside and put tape on the ground to emphasize were the boundaries were. Since Mayausky was at the Chatham precinct, maybe he can testify how the GOP violated the law with their antics outside the polling precinct!
Contact, Jeff Branscome: 540-374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
We are now contacting the Virginia Democratic Party with the hope they can help provide the Mancini campaign with representation.
As a point of clarification, I am not at all certain that ANY write-in votes have been officially disqualified. The vote totals were Patricia Mancini 51%, WRITE-IN 49%. That's not "Price Jett, Jr." In the event of a recount, the total that Price Jett, Jr. will receive will be 49% MINUS all the votes that will be disqualified (and estimates are anywhere from 50 to 100 would fall into that category).
This is a nuisance suit straight from the Republican play-book of interference, intimidation and vote suppression when the results don't go their way.
Patricia Mancini won the election, and she will be inaugurated on December 12 with the other winners.
When Mr. Jett didn't get the nomination, he was offered help in getting his name on the ballot for School Board from George Washington District. At the time, Bruce Gubser, Robert Belman's hand-picked successor to Ed Sullivan, was the only qualified name on the ballot. Mr. Jett declined the offer.
Since we know that he's being bankrolled to the tune of five-figures by his current masters, we can surmise that the offer tendered him in May simply didn't have the right "Price" attached.
There are also rumors, unconfirmed, that Mr. Jett also sought the Republicans' nomination for Supervisor that was given to Tom Coen.
Can you say "political opportunist"?