Plaintiffs in lawsuits filed in Jones County Circuit Court last month contesting the City of Laurel General Election are still waiting for their cases to be heard.

On June 8, Marian A. Allen, a candidate in the Ward Seven council race, officially filed her contest to the city’s June 2 general election.

On Wednesday, June 10th, Anthony Hudson, a candidate in the mayor’s race, officially filed his contest to the same election.

According to the city’s election results, incumbent Mayor Melvin Mack received the majority vote in the general election, while his two opponents, independent candidates, Hudson and Daniel “Coach” Darby received 12.47 percent of the votes. Hudson received 113 votes, while Darby received 88 votes. There were five write in votes.

While Allen and Hudson were contacting the Secretary of State’s Office and preparing to file their contest, the City of Laurel Election Commission certified the June 2nd election results declaring Mack re-elected for another term as the city’s top elected official and Trey Chinn as the newly-elected councilperson for Ward 7.

The Mississippi Municipal Elections Handbook states that a person desiring to contest the election must within 20 calendar days after the election file a petition in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and “the petition must set forth the grounds upon which the election is contested.”

In their court documents, Allen and Hudson, both claimed irregularities in ballot boxes, the election commission’s report to the Secretary of State’s Office and questioned the eligibility of some voters.

In addition to contesting the election, Hudson in his lawsuit claims that he was denied access to some public records.

“During the investigation of (a voter’s residency), I contacted Circuit Clerk Bart Gavin and requested to review the Jones County voter roll,” Hudson states in the suit. “Mr. Gavin denied a candidate access to public record.”

Hudson also claims that a voter, who was allowed to vote in the May 19 election, had their name “removed from voter’s roll and denied the right to vote in the June 2 election in violation of the Voter’s Right Act.”

Hudson also lists numerous issues in several wards of the city.

Hudson and Allen also challenge the residency of several people allowed to vote in the June 2 election.

Then, on June 11th, Circuit Court Judge Billy Joe Landrum entered an order of recusal in Hudson’s case citing “reasons of conflict.”

On June 10th and 18th, respectively, the Supreme Court of Mississippi conducted hearings for requests to appoint a judge to preside over the petitions for judicial review in Allen’s and Hudson’s court proceedings.

In both cases, the court ordered Judge Billy G. Bridges, senior status judge, to be specially appointed to preside over the matters.