A state Senate committee chairman says that hearings on an election dispute could lead to changes in state election laws.
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee recessed Thursday after several hours of private deliberations without a final decision over Senator Jack Crumbly's future.
The panel will continue deliberations Tuesday.
Former Representative Arnell Willis, who lost to Crumbly in a 2006 Democratic primary runoff election, has challenged the runoff and claims hundreds of ballots should be tossed out because of voting irregularities.
The seven-member panel will recommend to the full Senate whether Crumbly should keep his seat despite the claims. Removing a sitting senator requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
Senator Steve Faris, the committee's chairman, said the final report from the hearings could lead to fixes in state election law that are needed.
Faris said it's too early to say what those changes might be, but cited differences in the law addressing the safeguarding of absentee ballots versus other ballots.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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