PLAQUEMINE - A Plaquemine mayoral candidate who was 34 votes shy of making the run-off election has contested the results of the race, claiming voter suppression by poll workers.Mayoral candidate Tonya Harmason filed the petition. She won 950 votes, Timmy Martinez won 983 and JB Barker won 1,560. Harmason's petition says that more than 30 registered voters showed up to their polling location only to be told to leave."Several active voters at two polling locations notified various poll watchers of their names being removed from voter logs in the polling location where they have voted in the past. The voters were turned away," the petition said.Harmason said the voters were all black, which she claims violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The petition says that the Iberville Parish Registrar of Voters, Kirsha Barker, is related to one of the candidates in the race. WBRZ reached out to the Secretary of State, which is investigating the issue. The case will be heard Monday, Nov. 18 in Iberville Parish.Permalink| Comments