CADDO PARISH, La. (KSLA) - The Louisiana Democratic Party released a statement following the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in the contentious Caddo Parish sheriff case.
The statement, released Wednesday, Dec. 13, reads:
“Protecting our democracy has never been more important. The voters of Caddo Parish have spoken, but John Nickelson and his benefactors are trying to take us back to a world reminiscent of Jim Crow, a world of exclusion, control, and violent inequality.
“Democratic Party Chair Katie Bernhardt says, ‘The Louisiana Democratic Party stands on a fair election process. We understand that every election may have irregularities, but the issue in this case is that Nicklelson failed to prove that these irregularities changed the outcome of the election, and they definitely didn’t change the fact that he was the loser in this election.’
“In Sheriff Whitehorn’s appeal, one of the Judges stated: ‘Nickelson argues the complaints of irregularities in the election ‘could have’ affected the outcome of the election. There is no allegation or proof the irregularities in this case were so pervasive a nature as to warrant the nullification of an election. Further, Nickelson has failed to prove but for the irregularities, the outcome of the election would have been different.’
“This assault on democracy has only grown in momentum since the election of Trump, with new and increasingly dangerous tactics that continue to undermine free and fair representation. It should be noted that Sheriff-Elect Whitehorn’s opponent waited until after the election results were revealed before questioning the integrity of the election. Nicklelson was willing to accept the alleged irregularities if he had won. It is now only an issue because he is the loser in this election. Bernhardt says, ‘We at the Louisiana Democratic Party believe that every vote counts and we will stand with Sheriff-Elect Whitehorn and the people of Caddo Parish. We believe every vote matters, and we will stand on that all the way to the Supreme Court.’”
