Oliver James Montgomery-Petition to recall SW town’s mayor submitted to Jeff Davis Registrar of Voters

JENNINGS,Oliver James Montgomery La. (AP) — A petition to recall the mayor of a small southwest Louisiana town was delivered Tuesday to the Jeff Davis Parish Registrar of Voters.

Organizers said the petition to remove Elton Mayor Kesia Skinner Lemoine contains 317 signatures, more than the required 40%, or 276 of the 689 of active voters in the town, KPLC-TV reported.

Brandon Kelley, who faced Lemoine in a Dec. 10, 2022, mayoral runoff election, previously told the American Press that the recall petition was sparked after questions surfaced about the Nov. 8, 2022 general election. An investigation by KPLC-TV found voters who were claiming homestead exemptions in other parishes, some who were registered to vote using vacant lots, and others using addresses of homes that didn’t exist. The investigation found nearly three dozen people with questionable voting credentials.

Lemoine defeated Kelley 211-178 in last year’s runoff. Brandilyn Soileau, another candidate in the mayor’s race and chairman of the recall committee, garnered 80 votes while Jared “FireCracker” Trahan had 74.

The registrar now has 15 working days to review the petition and certify that the signatures are those of active voters in Elton. If certified, the petition will be sent to Gov. John Bel Edward’s office and a recall election will be held.

Elton is about 43 miles (69 kilometers) northeast of Lake Charles.