MACON, Ga. — Bibb County Elections Supervisor Tom Gillon says two disqualified candidates for sheriff will not appear on the ballot.
Two weeks ago, the Bibb County Board of Elections voted to disqualify Ron Rodgers and Marshall Hughes after they found the two didn't get fingerprinted within three business days of the close of qualifying.
Both Rodgers and Hughes have appealed the decision to Bibb County Superior Court, but as of now, there's no hearing scheduled for either candidate — four days from the start of early voting. There doesn't appear to be a path for the two to get back on the ballot ahead of Monday.
"We've already sent out a good number of the absentee ballots. The ones locally and the overseas ones. So, I'm not sure how that gets rectified," Gillon explained. "The hearing for their qualification happened before the ballots were finalized."
Gillon's staff finalized ballots a week after the April 10 disqualification hearing. He says they need time to get them printed and sent to absentee voters. Gillon says if they get reinstated, he'll reach out to the secretary of state's office for guidance.
"I suspect the secretary of state's office has dealt with something like this before. So, there will be some precedent for it," he said.
13WMAZ reached out to the state election board for information about the hearing deadline. A representative said the deadline to appeal is Friday, but directed further questions about the final date to hold a hearing before a judge to Chairman John Fervier. He has not responded.
Appeals have been successful following prior disqualifications. Attorneys pointed to a 2016 Muscogee County case involving sheriff candidates disqualified for a similar reason. In those cases, a judge ruled getting the paperwork done was the important part — not the timeframe.
Hughes' attorney, Joseph Siegelman, sent a statement responding to his client not being on the ballot.
"Mr. Hughes will continue to fight to be on the ballot, and give voters a choice, because he met the qualifications to serve as sheriff," Siegelman wrote by email.
Rodgers' attorney did not respond in time for publication.