Candidates and election officials spent a week figuring out how to solve a Hamilton County Commission election squabble between Greg Beck and Bernie Miller -- only to find out a problem never really existed.
The hassle started with a sign posted near New Covenant Fellowship Church. The church serves as a polling station for about 2,800 registered voters and the sign advertises "Dr. Bernie Miller, Pastor." Mr. Beck, the District 5 county commissioner running for re-election against Dr. Miller, had a problem with that, officials said.
According to Hamilton County Election Commission acting administrator Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, Mr. Beck asked officials two weeks ago to replace the church as a polling station with the Brainerd Recreation Center. She said the commissioner assumed that District 5 voters would be influenced by seeing Dr. Miller's name before voting.
For several days, election officials explored the possibility of switching sites without realizing that the polling station serves voters in District 8. Eastgate residents never see Mr. Beck or Dr. Miller on their ballots.
"Maybe he hasn't checked a map," Dr. Miller said of his opponent. "I think that should be one of the prerequisites."
Mr. Beck did not respond to repeated requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.
"I honestly don't know his problem," Dr. Miller said. "It makes no sense to me. It is illogical."
However, several election officials also thought the church was a District 5 polling station. Before a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter called Tuesday to check on the issue, Ms. Mullis-Morgan expected an opinion from the Election Commission on whether to switch precincts by the end of this week.
"It's a very unusual problem, and we've never faced this before," she said.
The acting director said ballots were not yet printed, preventing a quick check to see if the church served District 5 voters.
Ms. Mullis-Morgan said New Covenant Fellowship Church will remain the polling station for voters in the Eastgate 1 and 2 precincts, both of which are in District 8.
Dr. Miller said he is thinking about covering his name with a piece of tape on May 4, the day voters decide who will represent District 5. But Hamilton County Election Commission attorney Chris Clem said that step wasn't necessary.
"I asked him to tape it up anyway just to make this thing go away," Mr. Clem said.
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