Ophelia Ford
Encyclopedia
Ophelia Ford is a member of the Tennessee Senate
. She is the younger sister of former state senator John Ford and former Congressman
Harold Ford, Sr.
, and the aunt of former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.
She represents Senate District 29, located in Shelby County
.
John Ford, who had been a member of the Tennessee Senate for over 30 years, resigned in 2005 after he was indicted in Operation Tennessee Waltz
. Ophelia Ford ran for her brother's state senate seat and defeated Henri Brooks by 20 votes in the special Democratic primary
. She went on to defeat Republican
candidate Terry Roland by 13 votes in the special general election
. Both elections fell under allegations of improprieties. In the special general election, a state senate election committee confirmed 12 of the 13 votes were invalid. Names of deceased persons and felons
were found on the rolls, and dozens of additional votes were counted from voters living outside the district. Further investigation of the election revealed that one of the election officials purportedly certifying the name of many of the voters in question was actually in New York City
the day of the election and that her place was taken, without authorization, by a relative.
The Tennessee Senate initially voted along party lines to void the election. Ophelia Ford sued the State Senate and obtained an injunction from a federal court which upheld the election until the senate met provisions under the Voting Rights Act
. The State Senate, having authorization to so act from the court’s order, voted to void the election by a margin of 26-6, on April 19, 2006.
Under Tennessee State law, the process of filling the district’s seat became the responsibility of the Shelby County Commission. Ophelia Ford vowed further legal action to regain the seat. On April 25, 2006, Ophelia Ford filed a federal suit in an attempt to regain her seat.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
investigated aspects of the election, and District Attorney Bill Gibbons
obtained 37 indictment
s, 35 of which are felonies, against three Shelby County
poll workers for alleged election fraud. Ford herself was not implicated.
For the 2006 election, she ran in a Shelby County district and won it (her old district had been renumbered as District 33).
On May 22, 2007, a Nashville cab driver accused Ophelia Ford of grabbing his shirt collar and ripping a button off his shirt while driving Ms. Ford to her hotel. He claimed that Ms. Ford was intoxicated.
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
. She is the younger sister of former state senator John Ford and former Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Harold Ford, Sr.
Harold Ford, Sr.
Harold Eugene Ford, Sr. was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing the Memphis, Tennessee area for ten terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S...
, and the aunt of former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.
Harold Ford, Jr.
Harold Eugene Ford, Jr. is an American politician and was the last chairman of the now-defunct Democratic Leadership Council . He was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from , centered in Memphis, from 1997 to 2007...
She represents Senate District 29, located in Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
.
John Ford, who had been a member of the Tennessee Senate for over 30 years, resigned in 2005 after he was indicted in Operation Tennessee Waltz
Operation Tennessee Waltz
Operation Tennessee Waltz was a sting operation set up by federal and state law enforcement agents, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The operation led to the arrest of seven Tennessee state lawmakers and two men identified as "bagmen" in the...
. Ophelia Ford ran for her brother's state senate seat and defeated Henri Brooks by 20 votes in the special Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. She went on to defeat Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Terry Roland by 13 votes in the special general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Both elections fell under allegations of improprieties. In the special general election, a state senate election committee confirmed 12 of the 13 votes were invalid. Names of deceased persons and felons
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
were found on the rolls, and dozens of additional votes were counted from voters living outside the district. Further investigation of the election revealed that one of the election officials purportedly certifying the name of many of the voters in question was actually in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
the day of the election and that her place was taken, without authorization, by a relative.
The Tennessee Senate initially voted along party lines to void the election. Ophelia Ford sued the State Senate and obtained an injunction from a federal court which upheld the election until the senate met provisions under the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
. The State Senate, having authorization to so act from the court’s order, voted to void the election by a margin of 26-6, on April 19, 2006.
Under Tennessee State law, the process of filling the district’s seat became the responsibility of the Shelby County Commission. Ophelia Ford vowed further legal action to regain the seat. On April 25, 2006, Ophelia Ford filed a federal suit in an attempt to regain her seat.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the criminal investigative arm of the state government of Tennessee.It was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on March 27, 1980, as an independent state agency...
investigated aspects of the election, and District Attorney Bill Gibbons
Bill Gibbons
Bill Gibbons is the current Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner for the State of Tennessee. He was appointed to the post by the current Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam. He is a former District Attorney General of the 30th Judicial District of Tennessee, which includes Shelby County and the...
obtained 37 indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s, 35 of which are felonies, against three Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
poll workers for alleged election fraud. Ford herself was not implicated.
For the 2006 election, she ran in a Shelby County district and won it (her old district had been renumbered as District 33).
On May 22, 2007, a Nashville cab driver accused Ophelia Ford of grabbing his shirt collar and ripping a button off his shirt while driving Ms. Ford to her hotel. He claimed that Ms. Ford was intoxicated.
External links
- State Senate page
- Opinion 5 of the Tennessee Attorney General's 2006 opinions
- http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060112/NEWS0201/601120389/1010/NEWS02
- http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/NEWS0201/70321078/1001/NEWS