A Chattanooga police lieutenant has filed a lawsuit against the Hamilton County Election Commission after it approved a wording change on a referendum that asks voters if they will allow city employees with domestic partners to have the same benefits as married couples.
Lt. Corliss Cooper, a 27-year police department veteran, filed the suit Monday along with her partner, Robin Smith, in Hamilton County Circuit Court.
Corliss Cooper
According to state law, the petitioners in a recall get to decide on the language used on the ballot.
And on Friday, the election commission approved the original language.
Cooper’s attorney, Stevie Phillips, alleges that the change from a 170-word summary to a 15-word summary in an “emergency meeting” held without public notification serves to not fully explain the law to voters.