Some content with Caddo sheriff recount’s outcome

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Not long after the recount Monday in the Caddo sheriff runoff election, a lawsuit was filed by John Nickelson’s campaign.

“With a margin so small, if the flip side were in reverse, I would think that Chief (Henry) Whitehorn would go challenge one vote,” one voter, Skip Simonton, said.

After three extra votes were found on both sides, Whitehorn remains Caddo sheriff-elect.

“If he won by one, that’s fine. I think he, I think he won,” said Mark Perkins, another voter.

“If you have a mistake made by two or three people, that’s nothing unusual. I mean, out of 40,000-50,000 votes, what do you expect?” one woman asked.

Despite the concerns of many, including Nickelson, some people in Caddo Parish are content with the standing result.

Even so, since the election, we’ve learned of miscounted votes. KSLA also got word of potential votes by deceased voters. There are policies in place if this happens.

But some people are still leery about this election.

“I’m obviously very concerned if somebody was deceased and those votes were counted, then they don’t need to be counted,” Perkins said.

With Nickelson filing suit, KSLA reached out to political analyst Royal Alexander, who said now is the time for a forensic examination.

“In court, evidence has to win the day,” the attorney said. “But it will shift now from merely a recount numerically to whether or not everything about the election process was done correctly. Because here the margin of error is so small.”

A forensic examination does not take long, and it calls for a closer look at specific details about the election, Alexander said.

“A judge is gonna look and see, okay, prove to me now that these two votes were actually people (who) voted two times.”

We’re told that now only the courts have a say in what happens next in this election.

Below is John Nickelson’s lawsuit asking Caddo District Court to declare a victor in the Caddo sheriff’s race or order a new runoff election: