It has been over a year and a half since Conecuh County Sheriff Republican candidate Mike Blackmon filed an election contest following a recount that found Democrat Sheriff Randy Brock won the race by one vote.
An investigator in the case, Curtis Gissendaner, has been collecting evidence and claims he has videos proving the final count for the election was incorrect.
Gissendaner showed 1819 News videos of voters admitting people they did not know came by and offered to fill out their absentee ballots and turn them in to election officials.
Now, he says he wants to see progress in the case and is asking Alabama Republican Party chairman John Wahl to take action.
“I want John Wahl to get this thing in court like it should have been a year and a half ago and get it resolved,” Gissendaner told 1819 News. “And Mike Blackmon should be sheriff.”
Gissendaner took his frustration to the State Capitol this week with a sign reading, “Republican John Wahl is a liar.”
“John Wahl was the individual who actually hired the attorney to go forward with the lawsuit after the initial election that said the incumbent sheriff had won by one ballot,” Gissendaner claimed. “However, despite getting all video evidence to overturn this election and put Mike Blackmon as sheriff, John Wahl has continually given us misinformation.”
Gissendaner said Wahl has informed the plaintiffs that the case is moving forward despite any court dates being set. Court documents show in March that both parties proposed a status hearing the first week of May, but Judge Braxton Kittrell, the retired Mobile County Circuit judge assigned to the case after the recusal of the Conecuh County judge, has not set another hearing or trial date.
“I’m not sure what Mr. Gissendaner is referring to,” Wahl said to 1819 News. “The Conecuh County Sheriff’s race has been one of the top priorities of the Alabama Republican party since the issues surrounding that election became apparent.”
Wahl said he has no power over the court system or authority in the legal process, but he has and will continue cooperating in the case.
“We have actually been the organization who has taken the lead on exposing the discrepancies and making sure an election contest was filed and not dropped,” Wahl continued. “That commitment remains just as strong today as it was then and we are hoping that this case can be tried as soon as possible.”
Gissendaner said the video is there and has shared it with several officials, so he wants the case to go to trial. He also held a sign that read, “Secretary of State needs to get involved.”
Secretary of State Wes Allen’s office told 1819 News they do not comment on pending litigation but said he would be outraged if the audio he heard is authenticated.
“If Alabama citizens are approached by someone offering to fill out or submit their absentee ballot, they should refuse the offer and report the incident to their local law enforcement agency, district attorney’s office, or the office of the Attorney General of Alabama,” Allen said.
Gissendaner provided multiple videos to 1819 News. The videos below are a sample of what he obtained.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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