Dateline: May 15, 2003

Recount confirms election results

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Bobbie Kidd and Michael Tibbets were sworn in as members of the Clarendon Board of Aldermen Monday night after a ballot recount confirmed them as victors of the May 3 election. Meanwhile, Mayor Tex Selvidge says he’ll take the blame for any confusion about irregularities in the election.

Candidates Bob Watson and Allen Estlack filed a petition for a recount last Wednesday after the election produced a one-vote difference between three of seven candidates running for two places on the board. Kidd had gotten 125 votes, but Tibbets had received 81 votes, Watson 80, and Estlack 79.

When the votes were recounted Friday, Watson lost two votes, but Tibbets’ and Estlack’s totals remained unchanged. Mayor Tex Selvidge, who was unopposed, also lost one vote in the recount, as did candidate Carl Draper.

Other issues were also brought to light last week.

City officials discovered Wednesday that two people who voted on May 3 apparently were not registered for the municipal election. Those votes may have been lawful if those individuals are in fact living inside the city, but that question remained unanswered.

Mayor Selvidge has requested the Donley County Tax Assessor/Collector’s office to provide City Hall with a list of only city voters for next year’s election rather than the countywide list provided now. He also says state officials tell him its up to the candidates to protest the election results.

“If anybody wants to protest, then there is a process they can go through,” Selvidge said.

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, a losing candidate would have to file suit in district court to change the outcome. The district judge could compel any voters who cast invalid ballots to reveal who they voted for, or he could void the election entirely. Neither Estlack nor Watson have expressed any plans to take this step.

In another issue, questions were raised after Friday’s recount because city officials didn’t give 18 hours advance notice of the recount to the candidates before the fact. Mayor Selvidge announced the city would hold a second recount but called that off when he discovered Saturday that the ballots had been left unsecured.

“I wanted to do what was right,” he said, “but I felt I would be more wrong if we recounted an unsecured vote. If there’s any blame it falls on me. I’m the one in charge.”