Gray Officials Accused of 2009 Election Misconduct, Case Sent to Georgia Attorney General for Further Investigation

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Georgia Secretary of State has referred the case against three Gray City Council members and other city employees for alleged election misconduct to the State Attorney General for further investigation, and possible prosecution.

The case summary outlines allegations against the defendants which center on absentee ballot processes and unlawful assistance during the November 3, 2009 Municipal Election and Run-Off. The allegations are focused on Mayor Pro-Tem Loretta Lipsey, former Councilwoman Evelyn Collins, and Councilman Benny Gray. Rallie “Rooster” Cogburn, Lipsey’s opponent in the race, along with Amy Smith and Rebecca Cogburn are the complainants in the case.

All three defendants are accused of illegally possessing absentee ballots of several people. Councilman Gray is also accused of forging signatures on absentee ballots, and even receiving the ballot of a woman named Bessie Jackson so he could vote on her behalf. Jackson is also mentioned in the case summary as a potential violator.

A registered Baldwin County voter, Jessica Thompson, is also accused of “voting in a precinct knowing she was not registered there.” The case summary says she was registered in Baldwin County while enrolled in college, and was given a provisional ballot to complete, which was counted in the City of Gray election.

Other allegations say Jamie Lewandowski, Election Supervisor for the City of Gray, failed to document required information on voter applications and absentee ballot envelopes. The summary also says Lewandowski did not keep a master list with all the names and residences of every elector where absentee ballots were sent. She is also accused of failing to keep a record of the name of each voter who received assistance during advance voting.

Another potential violation–the summary says Lewandowski may have counted the provisional ballot of Jessica Thompson knowing full well she was not registered in the City of Gray.

41NBC reached out to Lipsey, Collins, Gray and Lewandowski for comment. Gray told us he was unaware of the developments in the case and that he would need to speak to his lawyer before he commented. Lipsey, Collins and Lewandowski did not return our calls.