Unsuccessful
candidates for city council in Riverdale, Ga., have launched
a suit to block an upcoming runoff election, claiming in
part that a transgender woman candidate sought to
defraud voters by lying about her biological gender.
According to a
report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday,
Georgia Fuller and Stanley Harris, having both lost
their bids for council seats, filed petitions contesting
the November 6 election in Clayton County superior court
last week. The suit also seeks to invalidate the
mayoral race, alleging ballot tampering. It asks a
superior court judge to rule the election results
invalid and to order another general election.
A runoff between
Michelle Bruce, an incumbent council member and
self-identified transgender woman, and Wayne Hall is
scheduled for December 4.
The lawsuit,
which identifies Bruce as "Michael
Bruce," alleges that she misled voters by identifying
herself as a female. Bruce's notice of candidacy,
driver's license, and voter registration all identify
her as Michelle Bruce and female.
When asked if she
has had surgery to change her gender, Bruce replied,
"That's private. The people don't care about it."
Riverdale city
attorney Deana Johnson is in the process of preparing a
response for the court but said, "Unless we receive
something valid from the court, the runoff is going
forward. There were no problems with this election."
Neither Fuller,
Harris, nor their attorney have responded to requests for
comments. (The Advocate)
