FLORENCE — Candidates and elections officials have said the Florence mayoral race shows that every vote counts, but Fanika George had no idea her ballot would spark the battle that took place Thursday.
Steve Wukela’s campaign argued that George and poll workers didn’t follow proper procedure by allowing Florence County Councilman Al Bradley to help George in the voting booth.
Bradley has endorsed incumbent Frank Willis, and George said she also supports Willis.
In the end, the Florence County/Municipal Election Commission unanimously decided to count her challenged ballot.
Steve Wukela Jr., the candidate’s father, worked as a poll watcher Tuesday at the Marion Street fire station.
“Councilman Bradley was literally in the voting booth with the voter,” he told the commission.
He said he told Bradley, “Get away from there, Al, you know you’re not supposed to do that.”
Steve Wukela, an attorney, argued that proper procedures weren’t followed and that the woman didn’t qualify for assistance at the polls because there was no indication she had a disability.
George, however, said she was unable to read the bright screen because of a vision impairment that makes her eyes sensitive to light. Therefore, she asked Bradley to help her read her ballot when she saw the councilman, a longtime family friend, at the polls.
State law allows assistance in the voting booth for those who can’t read or write or are physically unable to vote.
During a discussion, commissioner Russell Barrett said the poll manager has to accept that a voter has a disability. In addition, poll workers are trained not to ask questions about disabilities, acting county elections director Steve Love said.
Commissioner Jay Jordan said he would have felt more comfortable if the voter could have presented evidence of her visual impairment, but the commission was “not in a position to rewrite the rules at this stage in the game.”
Precinct manager Anita Williams told the commission that when George asked for help from Bradley, she said Bradley could read aloud the names on the ballot as long as he didn’t tell George who to vote for.
The commission decided that, according to state law, Williams followed the proper procedure.
Williams is the wife of Florence City Councilman Billy D. Williams, who has endorsed Willis. She said, however, that she has worked for neither mayoral candidate’s campaign.
Williams told the commission George only said she was unable to read the ballot, which apparently led to a misconception that she was illiterate.
Steve Wukela Jr. showed the commission a Google search that showed George is the vice president of Wilson High School’s parent-teacher association and said he understands that George is an honor graduate.
“Yes, I am educated — I am no dummy,” George told the commission.
Williams, the precinct manager, said voters rarely request help from someone other than the poll manager.
George said her mother, before moving to another precinct, would help her read the ballots. She also said she has never voted without assistance.
“I’m sure it was humiliating to her,” said Williams, who described the incident as a “very embarrassing situation for everybody.”
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