By Carrie Pond
Paducah, KY – A 2 p.m. hearing today in McCracken Circuit Court will determine how to proceed with Robert Coleman's lawsuit regarding last month's Paducah mayoral race. Judge Jeff Hines tells the Paducah Sun he hopes to complete the recount process before January to prevent a delay of the mayoral inauguration. Coleman's complaint requests a recount and raises allegations of election law violations. The complaint contends absentee ballots were improperly handled and voters were allowed to cast ballots after polls closed on Election Day. A recanvass last month confirmed Mayor Bill Paxton beat Coleman by just 48 votes out of more than 10 thousand cast in the November election.