Cobb Elections Officials Respond After Mableton Residents Disqualified

MABLETON, GA — After two candidates were disqualified from the Mableton city election due to returned checks, officials told Patch Friday there is only one way for their candidacies to be reinstated.

Paul Chukelu, a former city council candidate, and Rev. Henry Okafor, a former mayoral candidate, were both disqualified after their checks for qualifying fee payments were returned for insufficient funds. The two were told they must submit letters from the bank by Feb. 3 showing the returned checks were errors of their respective banks.

Janine Eveler, director of Cobb County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, told Patch neither candidate has told her office the returned checks were bank errors.

"It usually isn’t an error of the bank, but that is the only way a candidate can be reinstated," she said.

Eveler referred to a statewide elections policy through the Georgia Secretary of State's Office.

The policy states if a check is returned for insufficient funds, the candidate failed to meet the qualifications for the office being sought. It also states that the Secretary of State's Office has to receive certification from the bank, credit union or other financial institution showing an error on their part within two weeks following the qualifying deadline.

"We accept cash, check or cashier’s check, and we deposit the checks the same day," Eveler said. "We always recommend they use cash or cashier’s check if they ask us because of the risk of a personal check failing to clear."

In a previous interview with Patch, Okafor said he has tried to offer cash for his $900 fee payment but the elections office has rejected it.

Eveler said the bank certification must be accepted first in the case of qualifying fee payments. Then, cash is required.

"We cannot accept payment without the bank certification that it was their error," she said.

The city election in Mableton will be held on March 21.

A full list of candidates can be found on the elections office's website.