Coons-Long questioned Harden qualification in school board election | Local News

This story has been edited since its authentic submit.

VALDOSTA — Public information requests have turned up deleted emails displaying Lowndes County Election Supervisor Deb Cox disqualified write-in school board candidate Nick Harden after receiving questions from then-candidate Brittney Coons-Long, who ended up successful the uncontested race for District 9 At-Large.

In an Oct. 26 public assembly the place Harden’s disqualification was upheld by the election fee, Cox stated she solely found Harden had missed the Aug. 27 qualifying deadline for write-in candidates when she randomly checked the dates.

She additionally stated she had obtained no formal complaints for an additional candidate.

When requested about emails associated to the disqualification, Cox stated she had no emails.

When The Valdosta Daily Times made its authentic public information request for copies of Cox’s emails, the newspaper was instructed there have been no associated emails on her laptop.

The Times then requested all deleted emails on the county’s e-mail server, and the paper was instructed that it was not possible to tell apart between emails that had been deleted by Cox and ones that weren’t deleted.

However, a revised information request of all emails between Cox and Coons-Long saved on the county server uncovered the emails that Cox stated she didn’t have and {that a} response to a information request claimed have been not on her work laptop.

In these emails, Coons-Long lodged a number of complaints and challenges relating to Harden’s candidacy, together with a problem relating to whether or not he met the submitting deadline.

After Coons-Long’s criticism, Cox contacted the Georgia Secretary of State Office that dominated Harden had missed the deadline and was due to this fact disqualified.

In the general public listening to convened by the Lowndes County Board of Elections to listen to his enchantment of the disqualification, Harden argued an assistant in the elections workplace accepted his qualifying software and he was knowledgeable he was in compliance and approved to launch a marketing campaign as a write-in candidate.

Harden obtained the qualification paperwork Sept. 14 and returned the signed and notarized packet Sept. 17.

“When I spoke with Deb on the 14th of September she instructed me to not fear about it. We have been in a position to confirm the usage of my nickname ‘Big Nick’ for write-in and I proceeded to speculate in my marketing campaign,” Harden stated. 

In the weeks that adopted, Harden launched an aggressive marketing campaign saying he spent 1000’s of {dollars} campaigning for the District 9 seat.

On Monday, Oct. 18, Harden obtained a telephone name from Cox that he was not certified as a write-in candidate primarily based on the date his qualifying packet was submitted to the board of elections. 

Cox then despatched an e-mail on Oct. 19 to Coons-Long, who had complained in a earlier e-mail and challenged Harden’s qualification. In that e-mail, Cox wrote, “My asst tousled by qualifying him. I tousled by not checking behind her.”

Prior to complaining concerning the submitting deadline, Coons-Long had objected to Harden being allowed to make use of his nickname “Big Nick,” by which he’s generally recognized in the neighborhood. Cox instructed Coons-Long in an e-mail that state elections legal guidelines allowed for the usage of a nickname as long as the candidate’s final identify was included in the submitting.

Then, Coons-Long complained about notices that have been posted in the election workplace polling location close to the pattern poll, that knowledgeable voters Harden was working as a write-in candidate.

Cox responded that she has been recommended by the state that posting the pattern poll, which included Coons-Long’s identify together with all different candidates, and the discover of write-in candidacy weren’t thought-about to be greatest follow.

After a number of e-mail exchanges between Cox and Coons-Long, that included thanks messages, smily emojis and even Cox complimenting Coons-Long on an interview printed in The Valdosta Daily Times, Long stated the entire scenario with Harden and the chance that he would problem the disqualification had “confused” her and Cox responded, “Join the membership. I’ve been confused since Jan. 2020.”

In response to the discharge of emails, Coons-Long instructed The Valdosta Daily Times, “I requested questions that I felt any candidate would ask relating to Nick’s candidacy. I used to be being requested by others about when he entered the race and I didn’t know myself, as an officer of the court docket I took it upon myself to ask the board of elections that query and different questions that have been pertinent to the election.”

Coons-Long is the chief assistant public defender for the Southern Judicial Circuit.

The Times requested Cox and the county’s legal professional, Walter Elliott, why Cox didn’t point out the timeliness between the Coons-Long e-mail and Harden’s disqualification. 

Cox stated in a ready assertion to The Times, “When Mr. Harden filed his Notice on September 14, we initially thought his submitting was well timed. We thereafter obtained phone calls which prompted us to ask the Secretary of State’s workplace if his submitting was well timed. While we have been ready for a response from the Secretary of State’s workplace, Ms. Coons-Long additionally requested if his submitting was well timed. As quickly as we heard from the Secretary of State’s workplace, we instantly referred to as Mr. Harden to inform him his submitting was not well timed. He requested for a listening to, which we held.”

Harden and his group proceed their journey to problem the choice from the board of elections listening to held final month. 

“I used to be utterly shocked through the listening to when Deb denied her assertion in an earlier dialog that my opponent, Brittney, had despatched an e-mail questioning my qualification. The e-mail would show {that a} problem was made and that will permit my enchantment to be heard,” Harden instructed The Times. “I’m grateful to my supporters for persevering with to write down me in regardless of the numerous assaults on my marketing campaign. I hope that my opponent is doing this for the kids in the town school system as a result of that’s what issues on the finish of all of this.” 

The Valdosta Daily Times has posted all the e-mail exchanges obtained by open information requests on-line at: https://files.fm/u/78rg7ut7b