Republican Ward 7 Hopkinsville City Council candidate Doug Wilcox believes he won the contested primary and says it’s premature to call for a revote.
In a statement issued through attorney James Adams Tuesday, Wilcox says he believes the law indicates that a revote of any kind should be a last resort. Initial results showed Wilcox defeating Mark Graham by a single vote, but the Christian County Clerk’s Office later said 109 voters in Ward 8 had voted in the Ward 7 race due to a technical issue with how Tenex programmed software at polling places.
Wilcox claims to have requested detailed and specific information from the clerk’s office for the last week, but says he hasn’t received what he requested. Wilcox says it must be determined whether the outcome of last week’s primary can be determined “based on the eligible votes that were cast, or at a minimum, if the areas in question can be narrowed to a specific number and segment of eligible voters.”
Wilcox believes it will ultimately be shown that he received the Republican nomination for Ward 7. He does acknowledge that if information is too inconclusive to determine a winner, then it will be up to a judge to determine an appropriate remedy to the situation. He says respects the process and thanks those who have supported him.
The Christian County Board of Elections is set to meet in special session at 10 a.m. Thursday at the courthouse, when they will enter into closed session to discuss pending litigation. Judge John Atkins has also scheduled a status hearing for 2 p.m. June 1 on the matter in Christian Circuit Court. Graham and the clerk’s office have each filed petitions seeking a manual recount.