The District Four School Board member vote was very close — 416 to 329–with challenger Cason Kirby getting the most votes. Incumbent Kelly Horwitz is contemplating a challenge of the election results. She has a good reason to suspect that a hundred or so of the votes were cast illegally by students at the behest of the University of Alabama’s notorious Machine. The team of challenger Cason Kirby  got a little too close to the District Four Chief Election Inspector’s car while picnicking and were chased away but otherwise they had a great day.

As they scarfed down their sandwiches they witnessed droves of  Kirby supporters empty out of limos. Could they possibly have known that many of them had been promised booze for their votes?  Well, unless there’s a way to prove it, that’s a moot point. But whether all of the votes cast for Kirby were by people who resided in the district is another thing entirely.

If inspections of the voter list show that a hundred or so votes might be subject to disqualification because of people having not established their residency the voters in question might be hauled into court to testify who they voted for. And lying in court about that sort of thing could result in a felony charge.

“Any person examined as a witness may be required to answer if he or she voted at the election contested and to answer touching his or her qualifications; and if he or she was not at such election a qualified voter, he or she may be required to answer for whom he or she voted. If he or she makes full, true answers which may tend to incriminate him or her, he or she shall not be prosecuted for voting at such election.” ~ Code of Alabama Statute 17-16-42 

The final election results might well hinge on whether the students who voted illegally for the Machine candidate Kirby will also lie in court for him.

Since Kirby was a no-show at the first School Board meeting to be held after the election perhaps the fact that his apparent lack of interest in education — having never ever attended a School Board meeting — is indicative of his uncertainty over whether all of The Machine votes will count.