MARION, AR (abc24.com) - We're used to seeing democrats and republicans going at it during elections, but democrats going after democrats? That's what's happening right now in Crittenden County, Arkansas. They're duking it out over a recent election to fill a vacant seat on the election commission. The conflict is so intense the courts will have to step in.
“It says the defendants are hereby ordered to refrain from denying the plaintiff the position at issue which is the Crittenden County Election Commission,” said Daniel Hatchett, reading a temporary restraining order.
After waiting more than a half hour to be sworn in by the County Clerk, Daniel Hatchett received bad news.
“I was informed by the court clerk that she would not swear me in even though I got a court order here from the judge,” Hatchett said.
Daniel Hatchett got that court order because fellow Democrats took issue with his election to the County's Election Commission.
The 24 members of the County's Democratic Party planned to vote on four candidates earlier this week, but the chairman postponed the meeting because of bad weather.
Six democrats met anyway and elected Daniel Hatchett. When he showed up to be sworn in, the chairman wouldn't approve appointing him.
“I'm the duly elected commissioner, the judge has issued an order to that effect and all they're doing is violating the judge's order,” Hatchett said.
The Chairman of the Crittenden County Democratic Party says the restraining order keeps the organization from having a say on who should fill that vacant seat on the election commission.
“The law did change in the last legislative session, which gave the Democratic Central Committee the ability to change our members of the election commission at will,” Steven Jones said.
Jones says it's unclear if the judge who issued this restraining order was aware of that.
As far as Hatchett is concerned, Jones is the one breaking the law.
“The quorum met, they voted and selected me to fill that position and then all of a sudden the chairman of the DCC is going to come back and say your election is invalid? That not only violates my civil rights but it also denies me due process of law,” Hatchett said.
