A local nurse who has been fighting a voting restriction ballot measure will have to pay some court costs to the measure’s supporters. Measure B calls for hand-counted elections, to be completed in a single day, with very limited exceptions for mail-in ballots or early voting, and requires a photo ID when casting a ballot. All of these points would be in contradiction to state and federal laws. That’s the basis on which Jennifer Katske has been fighting in court since February to nullify the measure. Judge Ben Hanna stopped the suit last week, saying that an argument against the measure’s merits must wait until after the election. He also ordered Katske to pay some of the court costs, and she’s seeking donations from the public to help her. Katske has also filed a separate lawsuit alleging conflict of interest on the part of some of the Measure B supporters, most notably Laura Hobbs and Richard Gallardo, who are both employees of the Elections Department hired by appointed Registrar Clint Curtis. The Board of Supervisors has set a closed session meeting for Thursday to discuss the suit.
-Steve Gibson