NAACP alleges voter suppression over Oakland mayoral election recount cost

OAKLAND -- Black voters accused the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office Friday of voter suppression after voting officials told them to pay $21,000 per day for a recount of the Oakland mayoral election.

According to the latest official results, City Council president pro tem Sheng Thao won the election by fewer than 700 votes over City Councilmember Loren Taylor in the city's ranked-choice voting system.

Having Black voters who are taxpayers, elders, and on fixed incomes pay $21,000 a day "continues a pattern of voter suppression in the Black community," leaders of the Oakland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said in a statement.

The NAACP is challenging the vote because the result was so close and because ranked-choice voting must be scrutinized, said George Holland Sr., president of the Oakland chapter.

It's not because we are in favor of one candidate or another, Holland said.

"Alameda County, we're asking you to pay the fee," said Cynthia Adams, second vice president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP.

"These are taxpayers" who are asking for the recount, Adams said. "Pay the money."

Dwayna Gullatt, spokesperson for the Registrar of Voters office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation.

Several members of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP were at the Registrar of Voters office Friday morning to ask officials there to cover the cost of the recount. Registrar officials told the Black voters no.

NAACP members earlier in the week expressed concern over the lack of an official recount in a race decided by such a slim margin. Several members then filed requests for a recount.

On Thursday, those members were told they had less than 24 hours to produce a $21,000 down payment for the recount, which the registrar said would happen starting at 9 a.m. Friday.

Black community members are upset about the process. They have several issues with the process, "which continues an alarming pattern of confusing and inconsistent information towards the Black community born from this office," according to the NAACP.

One issue is a higher price for the recount. NAACP members said they were initially told the price would be $13,000 to $15,000 per day for the recount, leaving them wondering why the initial estimate was off by so much.

The NAACP also asked the Registrar of Voters to wait until Monday to start the recount. Again, the registrar said "no."

Tim Dupuis, head of the registrar's office, allegedly told the NAACP that the reason for requiring the $21,000 Friday is so the recount can be completed by the day the new mayor is inaugurated.

Adams said the NAACP will continue to challenge the issue if the registrar does not pay for the recount.

NAACP members will announce their next move at 10 a.m. on Dec. 28, at Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ in Oakland, Adams said.

The recount needs to happen to satisfy the seniors, said Allie Whitehurst, political action chair for the NAACP in Oakland.