CANDIDATES ASK FOR FEDERAL INTERVENTION

CAIRO -- Three of 12 Cairo school board candidates have called on federal observers and examiners to oversee next weeks election in Alexander County.

Board of Education member Robbie Koen and representatives from the United Front, a civil rights organization that has been active in the community for nearly 30 years, are joining the candidates in their request for federal intervention. Candidates Delores Purdiman, Anthony Peairs and Chauncey Hughes signed a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno Friday requesting federal intervention in the Nov. 4 elections. The group alleges County Clerk Sue Harrington, who oversees the elections, is engaging in fraudulent behavior which will result in a corrupt election. "We fear that the school board election will not be fair," the letter to Reno reads. "We fear that our voting rights will be violated as candidates and that the voting rights of the African American community in general will be violated."Attempts to reach Harrington and the other candidates Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Candidates are competing for four seats on the school board in Tuesday's election. According to Bruce Crosby, spokesman for Delores Purdiman, only three candidates were willing to request the federal intervention because there are problems with the qualifications of some of the candidates. He said there have been improprieties in some candidates' qualification activities and in voter registration rolls since the opening of school board elections in May. There is no way a fair election can take place with the way the election has been conducted so far, he said."We have concerns that there are at least 50 percent of the residents in Cairo that are not listed at the proper address," said Crosby. "Sue Harrington has been very reluctant to clean up those problems."Crosby said although the group is calling for federal intervention, there have been discussions at the state level as well. He said Harrington told him on Friday that state overseers had agreed to observe the election at her request."We went to the federal level because we believe the state of Illinois has not held up to its part of the bargain in regards to protecting our voting rights," he said. "Given that history of divisive tactics being used to prevent African Americans from gaining political power, we felt we needed to go to the federal level. We thought it would be a good idea to have the feds watching the state."The group will hold a press conference Monday at 9 a.m. in front of the Superintendent building to further discuss their reasons for requesting observers for the elections.