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DeKalb elections board removes candidate from voter rolls and strikes name from Stonecrest ballot after eligibility challenge
Summary
Following a public challenge, the board removed Jason Larry from the voter rolls and struck his Stonecrest City Council District 5 candidacy, finding he had been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude and did not meet the post-sentence statutory requirements to hold office.
The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections removed Jason Larry from the county’s voter rolls and voted to strike his name from the Stonecrest City Council District 5 ballot following formal challenges that centered on a federal felony conviction, supervised release status and whether his civil rights had been restored.
Challenger David Marcus urged the board to apply statutory qualifications strictly, saying the key questions were whether Larry was eligible to vote and whether his civil rights had been restored. Marcus described public records showing a federal conviction and supervised release, and said "his civil rights have not been restored as required by title 21." Representatives for the candidate provided documents to the board and argued those materials showed completion of elements of the sentence; Mr. Wilkins, speaking for the candidate, said "Mister Larry's sentence has been completed. He's paid restitution, and he's a registered voter." The board reviewed submitted documents and public records during the hearing.
Board counsel and members cited Georgia law — including an OCGA section read into the record addressing disqualification for persons convicted of felonies involving moral turpitude — and concluded the preponderance of evidence supported removal. A motion to cancel Larry's registration under OCGA 21-2-162(b) carried, and the board later moved to strike his candidacy for Stonecrest City Council District 5, finding that 10 years had not passed since completion of any applicable sentence and that his civil rights had not been shown restored.
City officials were present and clarified that cities act as qualifying officers who accept candidates' written declarations but that challenges to qualifications are decided by the county election superintendent and board. The board said staff would mail notification of the registration cancellation to the affected individual.
