NEW UPDATE-April 13--State's attorney files papers objecting to opponent's petition

Update-A meeting to review Fayette County State's Attorney Stephen Friedel's objection will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the conference room on the second floor of the Fayette County Courthouse.

Fayette County’s state’s attorney has filed a formal objection to the resolution of candidacy filed by a Greenville attorney who wants to oppose him in November’s general election.

Stephen Friedel, a Democrat, filed with Fayette County Clerk and Recorder Terri D. Braun on Wednesday an objection to the document that Republican Dan Goggin filed in order to enter the November election.

In his objection, Friedel states that Goggin failed to comply with the state election code, which requires him to file his resolution within three days of the party caucus in which he was approved as a candidate for a vacant ballot spot.

Friedel states that Goggin’s resolution was, in fact, filed 29 days after the caucus.

That petition will be reviewed by the county officers electoral board. By state law, the local electoral board consists of the county clerk and recorder (Braun), circuit clerk (Marsha Wodtka) and state’s attorney (Friedel).

Because Friedel is the one filing the objection, he is being replaced, according to state election code, by the county treasurer (Rose Hoover). The sheriff (Aaron Lay) is the second alternate.

The election code states that Braun, as the chairman of the local electoral board, is required to contact the other members of the board about the filing of the objection and the need for a hearing.

The state code stipulates that the meeting on the matter be within three to five days of receipt of the objection.

After a decision is made by that board, the candidate against whom a ruling is made has 10 days to file a petition seeking judicial review of the matter in circuit court, according to the election code. The other party then has 10 days to file an answer to the petition seeking review of the board’s ruling.