PORT ALLEN - A Plaquemine mayoral candidate's petition to contest the close results of the town's mayoral election was dismissed in an 18th JDC courtroom Monday morning. Plaquemine mayoral candidate Tonya Harmason (I) filed the petition to contest the results of the town's mayoral election, claiming she was the victim of voter suppression and fraud. Harmason was narrowly shut out of a runoff by a margin of 33 votes. JB Barker (I) came in first place in the election with 1,569 votes — about 45% of the vote. Harmason finished with 950 votes, just 33 votes behind Timmy Martinez (D) in the battle for a runoff spot. The day after the election, Harmason told WBRZ she was considering challenging the results. She claimed that more than 30 individuals had told poll watchers they had had their names removed from voter logs in the polling location where they have voted in the past.She also claimed that district boundaries changed without notice.Permalink| Comments