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ALBANY, GA --
Dougherty County Board of Election officials have made their decision on the candidacy of Rev. Lorenzo Heard.

In a Friday morning meeting, election officials say that Heard did not meet all of the requirements to be placed on the ballot.

Those requirements are:

1) Notice of candidacy and affidavit.
2) Nomination petition.(Heard's was short 646 signatures)
3) Payment of qualifying fee

Heard sought to qualify as an independent candidate in the Dougherty County School Board At Large race against Dr. Lane Price in the November General Election. Price beat incumbent Dr. Anita Williams-Brown in the July 31st Democratic Primary.

Rev. Heard's Lawyer Maurice King, said it was an  election officials mistake that caused Rev. Heard to not meet some of those requirements, and "under Georgia Law you can't disqualify someone because of a mistake made by and election official."

King claims the offical that rejected Heard notice of candidacy was not authorized to do so, and if it had not be rejected the qualifying fee would have been paid.

They plan to file a writ of mandamus, which would ask the court to force the board to place him on the ballot, and possibly  place a stay the November election until the matter is worked out.