Simmons v. Taylor

451 S.W.2d 385, 1970 Ky. LEXIS 381
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 6, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 451 S.W.2d 385 (Simmons v. Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simmons v. Taylor, 451 S.W.2d 385, 1970 Ky. LEXIS 381 (Ky. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

DAVIS, Commissioner.

The appellants instituted an election contest attacking the validity of the election on November 4, 1969, of certain of the ap-pellees as mayor and members of the board of council for Scottsville. KRS 122.070. The trial court dismissed the action based on failure of the appellant plaintiffs to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. This appeal challenges that judgment of the court.

[386]*386The appellees have moved that the appeal be dismissed on the ground that appellants have filed in this court an authenticated copy of the circuit court record rather than the “entire original record.” This contention is predicated upon the provisions of KRS 122.090 which are:

“Any party may appeal to the Court of Appeals from a judgment entered under KRS 122.070, in the same manner as provided in KRS 122.040, all of the provisions of which statute shall be applicable.”

The particular provision of KRS 122.040 relied on by appellees is this sentence in KRS 122.040(1): “The entire original record shall be filed and no designation of record shall be required.” The obvious purpose of permitting the original trial court record to be used on appeal in an election contest is to expedite the proceeding. In our view, the filing of an authenticated copy of the circuit court record is substantial compliance with the provisions of the statutes in this respect, particularly in light of the fact that the record was filed in this court December 18, 1969, following the circuit court’s judgment entered December 11, 1969. Accordingly, the motion of appellees to dismiss the appeal for failure to file the original circuit court record is overruled.

The original complaint, filed in the circuit court November 14, 1969, asserted that a general election to fill the offices of mayor and six members of the board of council in Scottsville was held November 4, 1969. Precincts 1, 2, and 3 in Scottsville were the only precincts at which voters cast ballots in races for those offices. A specific allegation of the original complaint was:

“ * * * there were no violations of the election laws in Precincts One (1) and Three (3) in Scottsville, Kentucky, at said election which would impair or destroy the fairness of the election in said precincts and that the votes in said precincts should be counted in the election, together with the absentee ballots.”

The plaintiffs alleged their own candidacies for the offices being contested and their receipt of not less than 25 percent of the number of votes cast for the successful candidates. The exact number of votes received by each candidate in each of the three precincts was set forth in the complaint.

The gist of the original complaint is reflected by this quotation from Paragraph VII of it in which it was stated in part:

“Plaintiffs state that more than 20 percent of the votes cast in Precinct No. 2 in Scottsville, * * * were illegal and that it cannot be determined for whom such votes were cast due to the large number of candidates on the ballot and the confusion of the voters, who will not be able to remember accurately how they voted, and that the entire vote in such precinct should be disregarded and the election in said Precinct 2 be declared null and void and that the election of the candidates for Mayor and Council be determined by the votes cast in Precincts 1 & 3 of the City of Scottsville, Kentucky.”

In the following paragraphs of the complaint, the plaintiffs detailed with specificity numerous irregularities and violations of statutory requirements alleged to have occurred in Precinct No. 2. In some instances the alleged violations were said to have affected “more than 20 percent” of the votes cast in the precinct, and in other instances “more than 50 percent” of the votes in the precinct.

In Paragraph IX of the complaint, the plaintiffs incorporated by reference the signature book used at Precinct No. 2 showing the names of all the voters who voted there and asserted that that list contained the names of all the voters whose votes were alleged to be illegally cast. It is not discernible whether that allegation purported to say that every vote in Pre[387]*387cinct No. 2 was illegal, or merely that the list contained the names of any illegal voters who had cast ballots in the precinct.

The complaint then alleged that by disregarding the votes in Precinct No. 2, and considering only the votes cast in Precincts 1 and 3, the plaintiffs would prevail. The prayer of the complaint was that the votes cast in Precinct No. 2 be declared null and void and that the plaintiff be declared winners in their respective races, based on the results of the election in Precincts 1 and 3.

Before any responsive pleading was filed to the original complaint, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on November 17, 1969, naming three additional plaintiffs (successful candidates for councilmen) and three additional defendants (unsuccessful candidates for councilmen). The amended complaint alleged in part:

“ * * * that the election officers in precincts 1 & 3, as well as in precinct 2 violated the provisions of Kentucky Revised Statutes 125.140, sub-section 2,118.-330 and 125.150 * * * as set forth in [the original complaint] in such a manner as to cause illegal votes to be cast in all three precincts and as a result thereof the fairness of the election in precinct 2 was completely destroyed and all votes cast in precinct 2 should not be counted and all illegal votes cast in precincts 1 and 3 should not be counted, and state that if said illegal votes in said precincts are not counted all the plaintiffs would be elected, and all of the defendant candidates would be defeated.”

There was no allegation in the amended complaint of the name or names of any voter or voters claimed to have voted illegally, nor any statement as to the percentage of said illegal voters who cast ballots in Precincts 1 and 3. Neither was there any averment that any of the allegedly illegal voters voted for the successful candidates nor any claim that the plaintiffs were unable to determine the names of illegal voters and how they voted. In its prayer the amended complaint sought judgment declaring null and void all votes cast in Precinct 2 and all votes illegally cast in Precincts 1 and 3. The prayer concluded with request for judgment declaring that the plaintiffs were the successful candidates for the offices in question.

On December 2, 1969, the members of the Allen County Election Commission, defendants along with the candidates, moved the court to strike various portions of the complaint as amended and to dismiss the action for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. Before the court ruled on that motion, and on the same day, December 2, 1969, the plaintiffs handed to the circuit clerk a second amended complaint.

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Bluebook (online)
451 S.W.2d 385, 1970 Ky. LEXIS 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simmons-v-taylor-kyctapp-1970.