Board Members Say Fawkes Overstepped Authority in McClafferty Delegate Race Disqualification

One member of the V.I. Board of Elections says Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes acted outside her authority when she disqualified Matthew McClafferty from the ballot in the upcoming Delegate to Congress race, deepening an ongoing dispute between some board members and the supervisor over election authority. The latest disagreement followed correspondence from Mr. McClafferty announcing his intention to appeal the disqualification and requesting a hearing before the board. Board member Cleopatra Peter responded Tuesday morning, writing that “Supervisor Fawkes is not authorized to conduct any investigation.” Ms. Peter argued that such authority rests with the Board of Elections under Title 18 Section 47 (8) of the Virgin Islands Code. That statute states that the Board of Elections has the duty to “investigate election frauds, irregularities and violations of this title, and report all suspicious circumstances to the Virgin Islands Department of Justice for possible prosecution.” ...