Montgomery, AL – The Alabama Supreme Court has decided another election is needed to decide who should be the mayor of Marion.
The Supreme Court today upheld a lower court order that said a runoff must be held between the declared winner, Anthony Long, and the second-place candidate, Robert Bryant, because of improper absentee ballots in the original election.
The original returns from the 2004 election showed Long beating Bryant and Herb Tucker. But then Bryant filed an election challenge and judge threw out some improper absentee ballots. The new returns showed no candidate getting a majority, and the judge ordered a runoff between the top two candidates.
Long, who has been serving as mayor, appealed to the Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court rejected his arguments in an unanimous decision today.
Today's decision comes just months before the next regularly scheduled election for mayor, which is set for August.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)