Dead man gets 322 votes in county's JP race

A Crawford County Justice of the Peace candidate who died in January received more than 300 votes in Tuesday's primary election.

The 322 votes that incumbent District 10 Justice of the Peace Cleo Coatney of Rudy received were not enough to defeat fellow Republican Jason Peppas, who received 468 votes.

Peppas, an Alma police lieutenant, is to face independent candidate Elaine Stanfield of Alma in the Nov. 8 general election.

Coatney filed in November for re-election to his Quorum Court position. He was certified as a candidate, and his name was put on the ballot.

He died Jan. 23 in Fort Smith at age 68.

Crawford County Election Commission Chairman John Lyon said last month that he didn't think many people would vote for Coatney because the news had spread that he had died.

Lyon and County Attorney Chuck Baker said if Coatney had received more votes than Peppas, Peppas would have been eliminated as a candidate and Coatney's name would have gone on the general election ballot.

If Coatney then received more votes than Stanfield, they said, the Quorum Court position would have been declared vacant and the governor would have appointed someone to fill the position.

State Desk on 03/03/2016

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