Fayetteville — A lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block a special election on the city's Civil Rights Administration ordinance or change the ballot language.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington County Circuit Court, says language approved for the ballot measure is misleading and there were irregularities with petitions and their approval by the Fayetteville City Clerk.
Filed on behalf of Kristin Higgins of Fayetteville, the lawsuit requests a hearing within five days. It asks Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay to throw out petitions calling for an election on the measure or rule that a "for" vote should be a vote in favor of the ordinance and an “Against” vote should be a vote against the ordinance.
The law suit names City Clerk Sondra Smith, Mayor Lioneld Jordan, members of the City Council and members of the Washington County Election Commission.
The legal action comes on the heels of the election commission's approval Thursday of ballot language for the Dec. 9 special election. Election commissioners sided with opponents of the ordinance and said a “for” vote will be to repeal the ordinance. An “against” vote will be against its repeal.