State Asked to Monitor Upcoming Election in Winder

Winder Mayor Chip Thompson said having the state monitor the upcoming city election would help the city avoid "he said, she said situations," the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

The request for the Georgia Secretary of State's Office to monitor the upcoming municipal elections comes after critics of Thompson, who is seeking re-election, have accused the mayor and his administration of attempting to cut 3,000 names from the county's list of voters to skew election results.

Thompson and City Clerk Sabrina Wall have said the initial list, which was meant as a first draft, was created by comparing names on the voter rolls to the town utility records so names could be verified.

The Banner-Herald reports City Clerk Sabrina Wall and the assistant city clerk are reviewing voter rolls again this week and on Friday will turn in a final, more accurate list of voters to the county elections office, which will in turn send letters to those individuals asking them to verify their addresses.

The city of Winder posted a response to accusations that names were being removed from the voter list on its website.

How do you feel about the upcoming city election considering the controversy surrounding the city of Winder? Tell us in comments.