ST. CROIX — Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes has disqualified two aspirants seeking public office, citing violations of filing requirements under the Virgin Islands Code and nomination procedures.
Former Senator James Weber III, who filed to run for delegate to Congress, and gubernatorial aspirant Roy Sheridan were disqualified on separate grounds tied to filing and eligibility issues. Fawkes said no further steps can be taken by the aspirants.
“Once you’re disqualified, you’re disqualified,” she said.
Fawkes said she disqualified Weber, a one-term senator who served as secretary of the 27th Legislature and resides on St. Croix, because he filed his nomination petition in the St. Thomas/St. John District.
In an email to the media last evening Fawkes wrote, “Aspirant Jimmy [James’ nickname] Weber filed in the wrong district, as per VIC 18, 410 a(1), this can’t be done and he’s fully aware.” The awareness Fawkes alluded to may stem from Weber’s previous stint as the deputy supervisor of elections.
“It said they must file in the district in which they’re registered,” she said.
Fawkes emphasized that the requirement is mandatory under the Virgin Islands Code and does not allow for correction after the fact.
“The law said must, it didn’t say may, it didn’t say anything else, so that’s when I had to review and made the decision,” she said.
Fawkes also said the violation differs from typical “defect” issues that can be corrected, such as clerical errors.
“This is not something you cure,” she said.
Fawkes said a cure applies to minor filing errors, such as misspelled names or incorrect addresses, which can be corrected after submission. She said, however, if a filing is not legally compliant from the outset, there is nothing that can be remedied.
Fawkes added that allowing a candidate to refile after the deadline or in the wrong district would undermine the filing framework and create inconsistency in how election rules are applied.
“If we continue to say it’s OK, then everybody could file wherever going forward and that becomes a problem,” she said. “So, that’s where we have to follow the law.”
The second disqualification involves Sheridan and his listed lieutenant governor candidate, Horace Graham, whose name was misspelled as “Horris” in the nomination petition.
Fawkes said Graham submitted a letter stating that he did not agree to run as Sheridan’s running mate. She also said Sheridan’s filing was further complicated by issues with petition circulation, including a misspelling of Graham’s first name on submitted documents.
Under Virgin Islands election procedures, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must file jointly as a ticket, and Fawkes said that requirement was not met in this case.
