Jackson Free Press

Eric Stringfellow writes in the Clarion Ledger:

"Because of the nature of my position in the media, it would have been unethical for me to support one candidate over the other. I wanted to be impartial and chose to vote in other places," said Melton, who says he voted in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

Records do not support Melton's assertions. Jennifer Ballard of the Harris County Clerk's Office in Houston, said there was no record of Melton ever being a registered voter there.

...Madison County Circuit Clerk Lee Westbrook also confirmed that Melton was registered in the county for 15 years, including three years in which he also was registered in Texas.

Records show Melton, who came to central Mississippi 18 years ago, was summoned for Madison County jury duty in May 1989 but there was no record of Melton ever voting.

Why should people vote for a candidate who has not been in the habit of voting?

Previous Comments

ID

137406

Comment

Isn't being registered in two jurisdictions at the same time considered voter registration fraud? [quote]Never voted in Madison County, although he was a registered voter there from 1988 until 2003... Never voted in Smith County, Texas, although he was a registered voter there from 2000 until 2003... Madison County Circuit Clerk Lee Westbrook also confirmed that Melton was registered in the county for 15 years, including three years in which he also was registered in Texas...[/quote] Isn't voter registration fraud the big issue Republicans always use for opposing mail in voter registration and wanting voter IDs at the polls? And isn't it a group Republicans running the Melton campaing funds? ...and around we go...

Author

GDIModerate

Date

2005-04-11T09:16:30-06:00

ID

137407

Comment

Isn't it fascinating that the Johnson campaign person on Wlbt-3 tonight was parroting almost exactly what Stringfellow said in his Sunday Column.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2005-04-11T21:59:38-06:00

ID

137408

Comment

It's not that interesting, being that Eric credits the campaign for giving him the information in the first place.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-04-11T22:11:14-06:00

ID

137409

Comment

Figures. Sad, really.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2005-04-12T09:00:05-06:00

ID

137410

Comment

I'm not following. Why is it "sad," as long as the information is true? What's the focus here: accurate information about candidates, or the messinger? This piggybacks on the discussion we were having on another thread about "smear campaigns." "Smears" are false; truth, by its very nature, cannot be a "smear." Voters are smart enough to decide for themselves whether accurate facts affect their vote. Our role as media should be to give them as many as possible. The truth is, I've received information from both the Johnson and the Melton campaigns and Mr. Melton himself. I've reported much of I could verify so far, and am working on verifying other parts of it. I truly don't see what makes this "sad." Truth is, Stringfellow didn't have to say where he got the info as long as he'd verified it; it sounded like he was being honest. Now, if you're saying that The Clarion-Ledger could have used their vast resources to vet the candidates' backgrounds long before now, you're absolutely right. It's funny how Stringfellow said that it is "unfortunate" that "Democrats shirked their responsibility" in not better vetting Melton sooner. In my view, one could argue the same thing about the daily newspaper that chronicles weekly Jackson crime on its Web site. Just sayin'.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-04-12T09:50:41-06:00

ID

137411

Comment

Even though Stringfollow got some facts from the Johnson campaign, he does go on to quote and use information from election officials in TX. Good article and even shows they looked into the Mayor's voting record as well. The C-L is doing some research into the race.

Author

tortoise

Date

2005-04-12T10:26:40-06:00

ID

137412

Comment

I learned in the (now useless) journalism classes I took once that one should never just blindly reprint a Press Release, which is what it seemed he was doing at first.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2005-04-12T13:56:23-06:00