HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Some Henry County voters are frustrated after a sheriff candidate was disqualified for a qualifying issue just days before the election.
Walter Woolfork’s name will be on the ballot for Henry County Democrats on Tuesday, but the votes for him will not count.
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“It means our vote doesn’t count. They wasted his time, they wasted my time,” said Leon Jordan, a Henry County voter who already voted for Woolfork.
The county’s election board disqualified the sheriff hopeful Friday for an issue with qualification paperwork.
“I’m dumbfounded, I really am,” Woolfork said.
According to Henry County rules, sheriff candidates are supposed to get their fingerprints for a background check under the order of the probate judge.
Woolfork got his fingerprints from the sheriff’s office instead.
However, he says no one notified him of any issue until the Thursday before the election. He said when he submitted paperwork to qualify he was told everything was in order.
“March 7th, which is my birthday, they said I was good to go. You can start campaigning,” Woolfork said.
The 23-year Henry County deputy spent thousands of his money on shirts, signs, and buttons. He also spent hours every day knocking on doors and campaigning for votes.
“I love the sheriff’s office, and I love this county,” Woolfork said.
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It is not clear when the county caught the mistake. Woolfork’s name seems to have been printed on ballots that were sent out to absentees and during early voting.
“They should have known right away,” Jordan said.
Channel 2 Action News asked the Henry County Elections Board why the issue was not found earlier, but received no reply.
Instead, residents who supported Woolfork cast votes for a candidate who can no longer legally win.
“I feel disenfranchised, probably like he feels misled misguided, misinformed,” Jordan said.
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