ELTON, La. (KLFY)– In Jeff Davis Parish, a recall is happening for the town of Elton’s mayor. This comes after the Secretary of State opened an investigation into voter fraud allegations in early May.

Rumors of people who do not live in Elton but registered to vote in the recent mayoral election has caused concerns about the mayor’s legitimacy. A recall petition for the town’s mayor, Kesia Skinner-Lemoine, has been filed and organizers are asking for signatures to remove Elton’s mayor.

Roderick Williams, one of the organizers of the recall petition, said he is a property owner in Elton. Like some people in town, he’s heard allegations of voter fraud in November’s run-off election for mayor.

“It started out with a lot of disgruntled town residents that had heard before that resident from outside of city limits came into town. Residents from other towns and cities registered to vote into Elton,” Williams said.

Williams said he got the voter’s log from the Jeff Davis parish Registrar of Voters and began doing his own research.

“And then once I got that, I began sitting through looking at the names, comparing the addresses with people that I know that do not live in the town of Elton and found some inconsistencies,” Williams said.

He said when he brought this information to the registrar of voters, concerns of inconsistencies prompted the secretary of state to open an investigation. In addition to the investigation, Williams, along with some members of the town’s council, filed a recall petition to have the mayor removed. The petition was filed with the secretary of state last month citing “election irregularities and election fraud in the November 8th, 2022, election as the reason for the recall.”

In order for the recall to pass, 40% of the town’s registered voters must sign a petition within 90 days following a confirmation letter from the secretary of state’s office. Williams said due to some registered voters being taken off of the voter’s log, the number of signatures needed might have reduced.

“From December 2020, until now, 93 registered voters were removed off of the logs,” Williams said. “Those are voters who do not live in Elton, who live outside city limits, or who live in other towns, or some who do not even live in Elton.”

News 10 reached out to Mayor Lemoine’s team for a statement, but we were not able to get one by news time. Williams said despite the recall, he does not dislike the mayor.

“I don’t believe the mayor is a bad person, I just think bad decisions were made on her behalf. So we want to make sure there’s transparency and have the right individuals in the office,’ Williams said.

If the recall passes, the current mayor will no longer be able to fulfill her duties and the town’s council will have a certain time frame set by the secretary of state’s office to appoint an interim mayor. At this time, Tony Guillory is the Mayor Pro Tem.