BENTON, Tenn. – Polk County election commissioners had a heated meeting recently over cell phone photographs of East Polk early voters.
Commissioner J.M. York, a Democrat, drove the discussion on the existence and purpose of security camera video footage of early voters at the Copper Basin Community Center during the May 2010 primaries. Still photographs taken from the security tape were published in the Polk County News in April.
York and a couple of East Polk residents attending the meeting expressed concern that the video might have been intended to discriminate or intimidate voters by recording how they voted.
A district attorney’s investigation of possible voter coercion or voter discrimination resulted in no criminal charges.
However, York said he was pursuing the matter after a recommendation by Drew Robinson, assistant district attorney for the 10th Judicial District, who suggested the Polk County Election Commission publicly review it on behalf of the voters.
Election Commission Chairman Frank Payne said he doesn’t understand why the election commission should make an effort to investigate the matter when the district attorney investigation found “no probable cause that any laws were violated.”
“We are not an investigative body,” Payne said. “We have no police power to do the job.”
York’s driving concern is nothing more than partisan politics, according to Payne, a Republican.
The chairman also pointed out that video cameras legally operate in any number of municipal buildings where voting takes place across the nation.
Election Administrator Steve Gaddis said York’s assertions were only hearsay and that the issue was not a problem with the current election administration.
“It’s water under the bridge,” Gaddis said.
Robinson said Friday that it could not be determined if the security camera could record voter ballot selections, at least based on the published photographs. He also said that it appears the original security recording no longer exists and no copies have surfaced.
Robinson asked that anyone with more information about the issue bring it to the attention of his office.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland, Tenn. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.